


Shaken To The Core

by LinkCat



Series: The Family Curse [5]
Category: Trolls (2016)
Genre: Earthquakes, F/F, F/M, Fear, M/M, Mistakes, Multi, Starvation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-10
Updated: 2019-02-19
Packaged: 2019-10-25 17:29:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 31
Words: 36,477
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17729612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LinkCat/pseuds/LinkCat
Summary: An earthquake tests the troll’s survival skills.Chapter 1 summary:Leaf and DJ Suki make the decision to expand their family one more time, but they’re going to need help.





	1. Empty Nest Syndrome

**Author's Note:**

> This is part 5 of the "The Family Curse." Please read 1-4. Everything will make more sense. Sorry for any mistakes and hope you enjoy!

It had been almost two years since Melody had turned eighteen. DJ Suki’s youngest living child, Cookie was turning fourteen soon. Even though she was helping raise Leaf’s youngest daughter, Amber, DJ Suki felt a deep hole in the center of her heart. Her last baby, Saffron, was murdered by Twig, while still in her womb. It was something that bothered her the last eight years since he was born sleeping. She didn’t want him to be her last baby, but there was one problem. Leaf couldn’t get her pregnant. Females couldn’t procreate with each other. She had talked to Leaf, and they had both decided that they would try to find a willing male to mate with her. She had finally found a willing couple to help them out. 

Stream had initially volunteered, but he reminded DJ Suki too much of Creek, and although she got along with Creek, she couldn’t picture mating with him ever again. He talked to Aquamarine about it and had convinced him to help her out. They were on their way to DJ Suki and Leaf’s home. They looked at each other, and then Stream knocked on the door.

“Stream, I’m very gay. When I say gay, I mean, the thought of mating with a female makes me feel sick. Are you sure about this?” Aquamarine was starting to have second thoughts. He had never mated with another female before. He had only ever mated with males. His dirty thoughts had only been with males. He was starting to feel a little queasy.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be here to help you out.” Stream pat him on the back and smiled. He knew his mate was nervous.

Leaf answered the door. She smiled and let them in. “I sent the kids to go play in the snow. Thank you for coming boys.” She headed for the bedroom. She only had a robe on. She was going to help DJ Suki stay in the mood.

DJ Suki had the room set up with lavender and vanilla scents to help keep Aquamarine and her relaxed. She also had a fresh batch of cookies in the kitchen for him for when he was done. She was very grateful that he was willing to help her out. She was on her side, nude, and watching the door. She was hoping this would work the first time. She had a feeling Aquamarine wasn’t going to want to do it twice, and she couldn’t help but feel a little awkward about it. She was also getting older and didn’t want to have anymore kids past forty. She only had one more year before her fortieth birthday.

Aquamarine smelled the cookies. He grabbed one as he followed Leaf towards the bedroom. He ate it, and turned the corner, seeing DJ Suki, on the bed, completely nude. “I’m not so sure about this Stream…” He looked nervous.

“I’ll be right here, and we will get through this together. You’re a great friend for helping her.” Stream took off his pants and sweater. He pulled Aquamarine’s scarf off his neck and pulled in for a passionate kiss. He then reached down and took Aquamarine’s member into his mouth. He began to suckle on him gently. He wanted to get him in the mood.

Leaf watched the boys and smiled. She then took off her robe and climbed into the bed. She pulled DJ Suki in and began kissing her. She ran her hands along her body and hips. “I love you DJ…”

DJ Suki kissed her back and smiled at her. “I love you too Leaf.” She shivered at Leaf’s gentle touch. She kissed her along her neck and chest. She was reached down and began fingering Leaf’s vulva. 

Aquamarine returned the kiss and moaned when Stream began giving him head. He grasped Stream’s long hair and shivered. “That feels so good…” He felt his member began to swell in his mate’s mouth.

Stream ran his tongue along Aquamarine’s tip, and shivered, feeling his own length swell. He gave him a little more head, and the turned him around and smacked his butt gently. “Help her out sweet cheeks.” He helped Aquamarine onto the bed. He had an idea to help keep him in the mood.

Leaf arched her back and moaned. She was enjoying DJ Suki’s gentle touch on her bits. She reached up and kissed her again. She was very pleased.

DJ Suki kissed her mate back. She pushed her fingers into Leaf’s vaginal opening and began running her fingers along the inner pubic bone. She was wet with excitement.

Aquamarine hovered over DJ Suki, and positioned himself. He imagined she was Stream, and so far, that was helping a little bit. He pushed into her and began thrusting. He gagged, realizing it was not the same.

Stream quickly pushed his own member into Aquamarine and began thrusting. He grabbed Aquamarine’s light blue hair and tugged. “Oh Aqua…” He pushed in deep and held him close as he thrust. He was pleased.

Leaf moaned in pleasure and ran her hand through DJ Suki’s dreads. “Mine…”

DJ Suki shivered and moaned when Aquamarine entered her. It had been years since she mated with a male. She was pleased. She tightened her walls. She kissed Leaf hungrily. She was more into it then Aquamarine was. “Feels so good…”

Aquamarine almost pulled out, but when Stream entered him, his attention turned to the sensation that he felt from Stream. He moaned and bumped hips with Stream. “You owe me for this Stream.” He pushed into DJ Suki and held her close. He was starting to get into it, thanks to Stream.

This went on for a few hours, before they all settled down, side by side. Leaf had DJ Suki’s hand and Aquamarine was snuggled up to Stream. Both couples were pleased.

Aquamarine got up and headed for the kitchen. He had worked up an appetite. He sat at the kitchen table and began to eat some cookies.

“Thank you Aqua.” DJ Suki watched him retreat. She smiled at Stream. “We owe you two. I can’t thank you enough.”

“If a baby results, I want visitation rights.” Stream smiled at her. “I hope it works out.” He got up and headed out the bedroom door. He grabbed Aquamarine’s hand and headed out the door. He knew after all that, he was going to be punished. He was going to enjoy every minute of it too. He was happy to help out a friend and was glad his mate was willing to help her out too.


	2. Shaken And Stirred

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A birthday party ends in disaster.

A couple of weeks later, everyone was preparing to gather for Guy Diamond, Melody, Basil, Sky, and River’s birthday party. The younger trolls were turning twenty years old. Melody and Basil were heavily pregnant, but decided they were going to be fine to show up to the party. They were not going to miss out on cake and games. They had decided to have the party at Branch’s flower pod, since it was large enough.

Basil settled down on the couch and put his hand on his swollen belly. He smiled, feeling Fairy crawl into his lap. He held her and smiled. “Hello sweetheart. Are you having fun?”

Fairy snuggled into her daddy and put her cheek against his belly. She had been very curious about her unborn sibling. She smiled, feeling the baby move in his belly. “I want to be with daddy.” She snuggled close.

Bask was over at the snacks, raiding it for goodies. He was very hungry.

Sunshine and Chili were playing with blocks. They were content for now.

Melody came into the flower pod and sat down by Basil. She looked over at him and smiled at her half-brother. “You look like you’re about ready to pop.”

“I’d say the same thing, but…” Basil smirked and put his hand on her belly. “I’d be in big trouble.”

Pearl walked over and sat down by Melody. She was three months pregnant. She was tired but was more worried about Basil. She was hoping he didn’t go into labor during the party.

Sky and Habanero showed up. Sky was pregnant too, but Habanero wasn’t. Sky was only a month and a half along and was feeling very nauseous. He walked to the sink and took some medicine with some water. He was hoping he didn’t get sick.

“Geez, look at all those baby spirits…” River said to herself out loud. She could tell her siblings had been busy lately. She smiled at Candy and took her hand. She wasn’t pregnant, but she wouldn’t be since she was married to Candy. She noticed Nano was at the party. He had been showing affection towards her and Candy but hadn’t been bold enough to ask the girls if he could join them as their husband.

“Who all is pregnant?” Candy asked curiously. She knew Melody and Basil were, but she was curious who else was expecting.

“Basil, Melody, Sky, Pearl, Bask, and…” River eyed her stepmother. “Penelope…” She looked at the door as Biggie, Rocket, and Emma came in. “And Rocket…” She was surprised. They had talked about an earthquake, and everyone was supposed to wait just in case something happened, but it looked like contraceptives hadn’t worked, and/or there were families that didn’t listen. Seemed Basil and his family hadn’t listened at all, not that that was a surprise.

River’s thoughts were interrupted by the sudden rumble and then shake of the earth. Everyone began to panic and tried to find something to hold onto. A crack on the earth began to split the earth nearby. The split ran all the way over to the troll tree. Before anyone had a chance to get off the tree, it came crashing down to the earth. Thankfully, the side it fell on only crushed unoccupied flower pods. The bunker had also collapsed.

The flower pod that the party was in, came crashing down with the tree. It rolled a few times, before coming to rest several feet away.

The whole thing only lasted a few minutes, but it left behind a huge mess. There were broken flower pods everywhere. The lower flower pods were in the best condition, including the medical pod. Honey came stumbling out of it and looked around. She began looking for injured trolls, hoping that no one had been killed.

Basil had gotten knocked unconscious. He woke up, realizing he was on top of an unconscious Branch. He tried to get up but holler in pain when he realized his leg was broken. He reached for it and sobbed.

Melody was crying. She had her hand on her swollen belly. She was fortunate to only be bruised, but she was worried about her baby. She had fallen and was worried she had squished her little one.

Sky was sandwiched between the couch and the wall. He was out cold and had several broken bones.

Habanero had managed to grab Chili and Snow. They were pressed to his chest. He was bruised but was alright. He let the babies go and looked them over. They both had scratches but were alright too. He noticed Sky and widened his eyes. He hurried over and began moving the couch off his mate. “Sky!”

Pearl was wedged between Bask and River. Her arm and several ribs were broken. She gasped for air. Tears ran down her cheeks. She was able to breathe, but it hurt a lot. 

Bask and River were out cold and were unable to move their weight off poor Pearl.

Penelope was screaming in agony. Her arm was crushed under the weight of the stove. It had fallen over on her arm.

Biggie had grabbed Rocket and held him close during the earthquake. Rocket was scratched up, and had a gash on his head, but was otherwise alright. Biggie hadn’t been as lucky. He was out cold, and had a nasty head wound and his leg was broken.

Several others were also injured. Sobs came from Branch’s flower pod, along with several other flower pods. Coral, Cumin, Nutmeg, Sage, and Turnip worked on healing trolls with minor injuries, while Jelly, Sprout, Bee, and Honey worked on healing the severely injured.

Basil had managed to wriggle off his father and laid on his back. He had calmed down and was quiet as he listened to everyone scramble around. He frowned, feeling a contraction. He put his hand on his belly and grimaced. “Oh my god…” He was scared. It was cold in the flower pod, and he was worried about his mates and babies. He couldn’t concentrate well enough to figure out who was alright, and who wasn’t. He was very overwhelmed.

Fairy and Chili had moved over to Basil and clung to his side. They were frightened, but relatively unharmed.

Melody had moved over to Winter’s side. She was shivering and had a tight hold of his hand. She was also in labor and was frightened. She held her belly and cringed during a contraction. “Oh god…” She had tears running down her cheeks. Her baby wasn’t moving.

Winter had a hold of her hand. He was also frightened, and in a lot of pain. His other arm was broken. He had a blanket ready for when his baby was born. He was hoping that their baby was alright.

“Please! I need help…” Habanero had gotten the couch off Sky. He held his mate and sobbed. Sky was in bad shape and was barely breathing.

Honey made her way into Branch’s flower pod. She went to Sky first and set his broken bones quickly. She began to heal him and looked around at the mess that was in the flower pod. There were so many injured in there, and she didn’t like that Basil and Melody both looked like they were in labor. “Oh my god…” 

Sky woke up hollering in pain. He hurt all over.

Bask woke up and rolled off Pearl. He picked her up and moved over to Honey. He had a huge gash on his head, had a broken jaw, and was missing a few teeth. He was more worried about Pearl. He could see she was badly injured. He glanced around and swallowed hard when he saw that Basil was also hurt.

Pearl cringed as she was moved. She took a shaky breath. She was having trouble breathing.

Once Sky was healed, Honey set Pearl’s arm, and then began to heal her. 

Basil breathed, and gently removed his pants. He screamed out in pain from a contraction and his broken leg. He reached down as he gave birth to a son. He put his son on his chest and startled when Smidge came over and began drying the baby off. “Thank you, mom…” He was shaking from the cold and from the pain.

Smidge had seen her son remove his pants. She quickly grabbed a blanket and put it over the little boy when he was born. She began cleaning him up and sighed in relief when he began to cry. He was green with orange hair. “You’re welcome son. Keep him close and warm. You’re very brave.” She moved to check on the rest of her family. She had bruises all over but had managed to escape major injuries.

As more trolls were healed, Melody also gave birth. Winter worked with one armed and cleaned their newborn daughter. She was not breathing and didn’t look right. She hadn’t survived being squished from her mother’s fall.

Melody picked up her daughter and held her close. She sobbed inconsolably. She was devastated.

Several hours later, everyone gathered at the concert mushroom. Poppy walked up to the top of the mushroom and looked among her frightened colony. She was grateful that only one troll had died but was very sad for Melody. She knew how much it hurt to lose a baby. “This earthquake was much larger then expected, but we will all get through this. We will have to ration food to survive the rest of the winter. We must work together. We’re going to have to send search parties out for food. We will make it. I know we will. Let’s start by making a shelter. There are several children that need warmth and food. Stay strong everyone. It’s going to be alright.” She got down and walked over to Melody. She gave her the longest and tightest hug. She was sad for her.

Melody had just got done helping with her daughter’s burial. She had named her Storm, since she was white like her daddy, with orange hair. She was very sad and sobbed in Poppy’s arms.

Basil had his son tucked close. Pearl and Bask were by his side. All three were now healed, and their family was alright. They huddled close and said a prayer. They had named Basil’s son Dill. They were extremely grateful that the only one that suffered permanent damage was Bask, and he was going to be fine with a few missing teeth. They just hoped they would all survive the next few months. They knew it was going to be tough.


	3. Stubborn Branch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Branch is determined to dig up the bunker, and it causes some tension.

It had been a week since the earthquake, and shelters were made for the families. Groups had gone out to look for food. Branch and Basil were where the bunker use to be. They both had shovels and were working on digging up the bunker. The food and supplies they needed were deep down underground, but they were determined to get to it. Branch was livid that the bunker had collapsed. He had prepared for the earthquake and didn’t know that everything they were going to need was going to be buried. He was in a foul mood.

Basil was an hour in, before he stopped and pulled Dill out of his hair. He sat down and began feeding his newborn son. He was tired, but he was also determined to keep his family safe. Both his mates were pregnant, and he was worried about their toddlers and his baby boy. He didn’t want any of them to go hungry. He frowned, feeling hunger pains. He had been eating less, to try and make up for the loss of so much food.

Branch stopped what he was doing when he heard Basil’s stomach growl. He sighed and went to his backpack. He pulled out his lunch and gave it to Basil. He was more concerned about his young son and grandson, then his own nutritional needs right now. “Eat up Basil. You need your strength.” He went back to what he was doing. He wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

“Dad, you need your strength too.” Basil ate half of it and set the rest aside for Branch. He put Dill back into his hair and got up. He went back to work.

Guy Diamond walked over to where Branch and Basil were. He frowned, concerned that they were making a mistake. “This is a really bad idea Branch and Basil. You’re wasting energy that could be used on fishing, gathering, and hunting.”

“You’re all wasting time and energy by doing that, instead of helping me dig up the bunker. Everything we need right now is three levels below our feet. If you would listen, and help me, we will have enough supplies to make it through the rest of winter.” Branch was trying really hard not to yell at Guy Diamond. He was hungry, cranky, and tired. He had several children to feed and was worried about his pregnant mate.

Basil was tense. He could sense the anger radiating off Guy Diamond and Branch. He quietly listened and kept digging. He fully supported his father’s decision to dig up the supplies and was pissed that no one else was helping them. He knew Sky, Bask, and Pearl would if they were not pregnant, but those who were not pregnant had no excuse. “Ease off Guy. I will help fish when I need to take a break from digging.”

“You two are impossible and horribly stubborn!” Guy Diamond threw his arms in the air, and then stormed away. He had a colony to try and feed and was struggling to keep up with it all. Food was quickly running out, and food was not being rationed as well as it should of been. He was getting worried that they would start losing babies and children due to malnutrition or starvation.

“My stubbornness kept me alive when I was a child!” Branch yelled at him as he watched Guy Diamond storm away. He grumbled and went back to digging. He was very cranky.

“Kept me a live too.” Basil grumbled, recalling the two weeks that he was with the group of children separated during the tokami attack. He wasn’t going to give up. He was determined to help his father get to the supplies.

“We don’t even know if those supplies will be in good condition…” Guy Diamond sighed and made his way to the lake. He sat down at a hole and dropped a line in. He was cold, tired, and worried.

Keith, Layla, Cumin, Nutmeg, Flick, and little Gage had all packed up and were heading East. They had made the difficult decision to leave the colony, in search of another home, and possibly more food. They hadn’t told their families that they were leaving, knowing that someone might stop them. They planned to return if they found what they were looking for. They were hoping for a ray of hope in this hard time. If they stayed where they were now, they feared everyone might starve to death.


	4. Motherly Instincts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Melody’s maternal instincts get her into trouble.

A few more days had gone by, and Basil had settled down to sleep for the night. He was exhausted after working almost none stop on the frozen ground that was where the bunker was located. His muscles were throbbing, and he was so tired, that he was sleeping through the cries from his newborn son.

Before Pearl could get up and wake Basil up to feed his baby, Melody had sprinted over to him, and gently took Dill off Basil’s chest. She sat down nearby and quietly began to nurse the little one. It wasn’t the first time she had taken care of Dill for Basil, so Pearl thought nothing of it, and went back to bed.

Melody held little Dill and watched him nurse. The young mother had been wanting this so bad, and she felt a deep hole in her heart from losing her baby girl. She sniffled and ran her hand through his orange hair. She looked at Basil and swallowed hard. She knew how protective he was of his children, but she wanted to take care of Dill. She knew he wouldn’t replace Storm, but she wanted to hold a baby and take care of it. She got up and headed back to her spot in the shelter by Winter. She sat down and held Dill close once he was done nursing. “Your daddy is going to wake up mad…” She laid down and put him on her chest. She closed her eyes and dozed off. She felt a lot better feeling the little breathing body sprawled on her chest.

Basil woke up and frowned, realizing immediately that Dill was not with him. He sat up and felt around, worried at first that his baby had died in the middle of the night. He didn’t find him nearby, so he got up and began carefully making his way around the shelter. He pin-pointed where he sensed his son’s spiritual presence and began making his way in his direction. He got to Melody and reached down to gently pick up his son. He frowned, realizing Melody had a death grip on Dill. “Let him go Melody…” He whispered, knowing most of the trolls who were still in the shelter were asleep.

“No…” Melody teared up and held Dill to her chest. Tears filled her eyes. She didn’t want to let Dill go. She had enjoyed holding him and didn’t want to give him back.

“Melody…” Basil’s voice was firm. “Give me back my son.” 

“No!” Melody began to sob. She shook her head and turned her back to Basil.

Winter woke up and frowned when he realized Basil was over by them. Basil looked livid. “What’s going on?”

Snow woke up and snuggled up to Winter. Her uncle looked scary mad and her mama looked very upset. She had no idea what was going on.

Basil clenched his fists. “Melody won’t give me back Dill. I woke up and he was no longer on me. She scared me! I thought something happened to my son…”

“You slept through his hunger cries. I’ll take care of him. Go away!” Melody was shaking. She knew what she was doing was wrong, but her maternal instincts screamed that this baby needed her. She didn’t want to let him go.

“Melody, sweetheart, Dill is Basil’s baby. You need to give him back to him.” Winter reached over and tried to gently take Dill from Melody’s arms.

“No! He is not leaving me!” Melody got up and moved away from them. She looked around, and then walked towards Poppy. She was hoping she could persuade them to leave her alone for a little bit longer.

Poppy was awake. The commotion was loud enough to hear from where she was at. She sat up and yawned. She frowned when she saw Melody making her way towards her with baby Dill. “What’s going on?”

“She stole my baby!” Basil was right behind his sister. He was livid.

“I didn’t steal him! I’m just borrowing him for a little while…” Melody sniffled and got behind Poppy. “Please…”

“Easy, both of you. Dill is just a newborn. We need to handle him gently. Basil let her hold him for a little longer and calm down. Melody, you will need to give him back. I’m giving you an hour.” Poppy said firmly. She understood that Melody was hurting, but Dill was Basil’s baby.

“Fine…” Basil grumbled and walked back over to his family. He was not happy about it, but he was glad he was going to get his baby back. He was not thrilled that Melody took him in the first place.

“Only an hour?” Melody sniffled and sank down to the ground. She held Dill close and cried. She felt that was not long enough at all.

Poppy knelt down and held Melody. “I know you’re hurting sweetheart, but this is not going to fix your broken heart. I’m very sorry sweetie.” Her heart broke for her, but she knew the right thing to do was for Dill to go back to his daddy.

Basil got back over to his family and sat down. He felt Fairy get on his lap and sighed when she cuddled close to him. He couldn’t imagine the pain that his sister was going through, but he was very protective of his babies. He didn’t like being separated from his newborn.

“What’s wrong Basil?” Bask got up and sat down by him.

“Melody stole the baby. She has one hour to give him back.” Basil’s voice was sharp and irritated.

“Oh…” Bask frowned and looked in Melody’s direction. He could see her crying and holding their son close. “Poor mama. I can’t imagine the heartache she is feeling right now.”

“I want my baby back.” Basil grumbled and cradled Fairy close.

“She’ll give him back. It’s going to be alright.” Bask snuggled up to him and kissed his cheek. “She’s hurting sweetheart. Give her a little time. She misses her daughter. I can’t imagine going through that. Poor mama…”

Basil leaned into Bask and rubbed his face of a couple of tears. He groaned and closed his eyes. “I know, I just wish she would have asked, and it would have been nice if she had handed him back to me when I asked for him back.”

“I understand your frustration. You’re a good dad and you’re protecting your baby. I would expect that of you.” Bask ran his hand through Basil’s two-toned hair. “Maybe she can babysit while you’re digging? She can have him for a few hours, and you don’t have to worry about taking care of him as often.”

“I guess that can be a fair compromise.” Basil sighed and groaned. “I think I might fish today. I’m hurting all over.”

“Do what you need to do daddy.” Bask held him.

An hour later, Melody walked over and gently gave Dill back. Tears ran down her cheeks. She didn’t want to, but she was worried she would get in trouble if she didn’t.

“I’m about to leave to go fishing Melody. I’ll nurse him, and then you can have him back for a few hours.” Basil set Dill up to nurse.

Melody perked up a bit. She nodded and sat down beside him. “I can do that. Thank you, Basil.” She snuggled up to him and sniffled.

Nearby, Sky was dealing with his own problems. He had woken up in a small pool of blood. He had Habanero go get Honey. He had a bad feeling he knew why he was bleeding. Between the stress of being crushed by the couch, and his poor diet, his body had rejected his baby. He was miscarrying. Tears ran down his cheeks. He wasn’t very far along, but it still hurt. He held his belly and closed his eyes. “I’m sorry little one…”


	5. A Fatal Mistake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group who left the colony wake up to an unpleasant surprise.

It had been a week since the group of six had left the colony in search of a new home or more food. They had made a small shelter for the night, but the wind was cold and harsh that night, and it managed to creep into the shelter. They huddled close to keep warm and had several blankets on top of them to try and keep warm. 

Layla was the first to wake up that morning. For reasons she wasn’t sure of, Gage had left her in the middle of the night and was curled up at the back of the shelter. She got up and walked over to him. She went to pick him up, worried he might be cold. Her eyes went wide, realizing that her son was very cold indeed. He wasn’t breathing either. She fell to her knees and began to sob. “Oh my god, my baby…”

Keith woke up and immediately moved over to Layla. He shivered and frowned, noticing their four-year-old son wasn’t breathing. He touched him and cringed, realizing his skin was like ice. He broke down and began to cry. He held Layla and closed his eyes. Their only child was gone.

Cumin woke up to the sound of them crying. He shook his brother awake and frowned, realizing they had lost Gage during the night. He shivered and bit his bottom lip. This was not supposed to happen. Gage was just a baby.

Nutmeg felt a light tug from his brother moving his head. He groaned and sat up. He looked over and frowned, noticing that Keith and Layla were crying over Gage’s body. “Oh no…” The young teenager teared up and hugged into Cumin. He began to cry.

Flick sat up and rubbed his eyes. He frowned, seeing the dead trolling. “Oh god…” He could see his spiritual presence was gone. “Poor baby.” He swallowed hard and pulled Keith and Layla in for a tight hug. “I’m very sorry.”

“Leaving home was a mistake. Maybe if we left him, he would have had a better chance.” Layla rubbed her eyes with her hand. She was very upset. “We have got to go back.”

“If we go back, the colony will certainly die. We need to keep going…” Keith got up and headed outside. He saw that the wind had died down. It was still dark outside. He widened his eyes when he saw light miles from their current location. “I think I see a light. If they are a colony, perhaps they can help!” He gently picked up his son. He had a very slight hope that his boy might still have a chance, even though he was so cold to the touch. “Let’s hurry. If they can warm him up, we might still be able to save him.” He headed out the door and ran towards the light.

“Keith?! Wait!” Cumin scrambled up and helped his twin pack up the blankets really quickly. “Hurry after him, Flick and Layla. We will catch up!”

Flick and Layla hurried after Keith.

Once they were packed up, Cumin and Nutmeg followed them.

It took way longer then Keith liked, but he soon reached the source of the light. He hollered for help and held his son close. “Please! My boy…”

A young dark blue female came out. She had dark green hair. She gasped and widened her eyes. “Oh my god…” She ran towards him. “Keith?! Is that you?!” She saw the young trolling and picked him up. She carried him into her flower pod and towards her fireplace.

Keith looked royally confused. It was like he was seeing a ghost. He was starting to think he was now dead too. This troll looked just like Nim. It took a few minutes, as he followed the female around, before he realized who it was. “Oh my god! Wisp! You survived the fire?!”

“Yes, I ran off with Citrine when the flames started to spread. We traveled this way and found this nice colony. They have been taking good care of us.” Wisp wrapped little Gage up in blankets and set him down by the fire. “Oh Keith, I think he is gone. We will try with the fire, but I don’t think he’s alive.”

Layla was not far away. She saw Keith go into the flower pod and gasped when she came in. “What on earth?!” She breathed hard and then ran over and hugged into Wisp. “Oh my god, we all thought you died!”

Flick came up to the flower pod and stepped inside. He looked out and watched for the twins. He hoped they were doing alright. They were only fourteen. “Come on boys…” He knew Honey would kill them if anything happened to those twin boys. They were healers and were very important. He sighed in relief when he saw them in the distance. He opened the door and called for them to come that way.

Cumin and Nutmeg made their way to the flower pod and went inside. They shivered and sat down by the fire. They both gave Wisp a look of shock and disbelief. They thought they saw a ghost. They thought both Wisp and Nim were dead.

A knock on the door startled them all out of their thoughts.

Wisp walked over to the door and answered it. “Come on in King Robin.” She smiled. “These are a few of my old colony members. They just got here. I don’t know what happened, but a trolling they are with may have froze to death during the wind storm.”

King Robin stepped inside. He was maroon troll, with long blue and violet two-toned hair, that resembled Creek’s hair. He was twenty-two years old. He looked between the five new trolls, and then down at little Gage. He frowned and sighed. “I’m so sorry. He is an adorable boy. Such a tragic loss.” He looked up. “What are you five doing out in the cold? It is not wise to travel during the winter.”

“Our colony was struck hard from the earthquake. Our food supply got buried under the earth, and we had to resort to gathering and hunting. Our colony is a little large, and we feared that everyone would die if we didn’t find help.” Keith explained.

Layla checked on Gage. His body was warming up, but she found no pulse. She held him and cried over him. She was heartbroken. “My baby…”

“No food during winter? Oh, this won’t do at all. We must send a rescue team to go retrieve them. My name is King Robin. What are your names?” King Robin grabbed a notebook out of his hair and began taking down notes. He already knew who he was going to send out to help find this colony. Just like King Peppy, he felt that no troll should ever be left behind, even if they were not from his colony. He had a huge heart.

“My name is Cumin.” Cumin shuffled his feet and looked at Nutmeg.

“I’m Nutmeg. We are healers.” Nutmeg looked at Cumin and sighed. He was tired, but very glad they found a friendly colony.

Flick bowed to him and smiled. “My name is Flick. Thank you for helping us King Robin.”

“My name is Keith, and this is my wife Layla, and the boy is our only son, Gage.” Keith moved to Layla and began to comfort her. He cried with her. His heart was also broken.

“Welcome to your new home Cumin, Nutmeg, Flick, Keith, and Layla. Get some rest. I will gather a team to go rescue your families after lunch. I’ll have a couple of you come with me to show me the way.” King Robin smiled at Wisp, and then headed out the door. He had a lot to do, and he hoped they would make it back to their families in time. It was bitter cold, and without food, he feared they wouldn’t survive long.


	6. A Whisper Of Hope And A Shadow Of Doubt

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another tragedy sends Troll Village to its knees.

Four days went by after the small group found the new village. A search party was on their way to retrieve the village and bring them to a new home. Back at Troll Village, things were not going very smoothly. Everyone was exhausted, hungry, and short tempered. Almost all the food now went to the trollings, leaving the adults weak, cranky, and tired. Poppy had sat down and talked to Guy Diamond about leaving this area. She had a feeling that if they stayed here, they were all going to die. 

Branch had finally hit pay dirt. He had reached a food level in the bunker. He hollered for help. He threw bags up of potatoes, onions, apples, and other fruits, vegetables, and dried supplies. It was going to help them for now, but it still wasn’t enough. He grabbed a box and carried it up to the top of the bunker. He was dizzy and tired. He sat down and held his head. He didn’t feel well. He hadn’t eaten much at all for nearly three weeks and had been working really hard on digging out the bunker. He was very thin. He had been giving almost all of his food to his children.

Several trolls came over and began grabbing what they could reach out of the bunker. They headed for the shelter with the goods. They planned to make a meal tonight. Everyone was in desperate need of a good meal.

“Thank you, Branch. You may have saved several lives today.” Poppy gave him a hug, and then helped him to his feet and walked with him towards the shelter. “Get some rest. You deserve it.” She was going to make sure he ate with everyone else tonight. He looked like he was in need of the calories.

Branch nodded. As soon as he got to the shelter, he walked over to his family, laid down, and passed out. He was so tired.

Smidge sat down by Branch and ran her hand through his royal blue hair. She was proud of him, but very concerned. He looked so thin. She was worried he would get sick and die on her.

Basil was curled up with Pearl. She hadn’t been feeling good all day. She was nearly four months pregnant and hadn’t been eating well. He was worried about her and their unborn baby. He could sense that the baby was weak. He feared they were going to lose him or her.

“I’m sorry Basil.” Pearl whispered. She was shaking and had her hand on her slightly swallow belly. She could feel she was in labor. She hugged into him and began to cry. She had a bad feeling since the earthquake that this might happen. There just had been too much stress and not enough food.

Bask was on Pearl’s other side. He held her, sandwiching her between him and Basil. 

Chili, Sunshine, and Fairy were all snuggled to their parents. They were quiet and were hungry. They hadn’t been their active and happy selves lately.

Basil felt the spiritual presence of the baby flicker off. Tears ran down his cheeks. He held Pearl close and cried with her. “This is not your fault Pearl. I’m going to take care of my Pearl.” He choked up. He was very worried Bask might lose his baby too, although so far that tiny spirit was still going strong. 

Pearl looked up and sniffled when she saw Poppy walk over. “I’m losing my baby…” She cringed and grasped Basil’s shirt. She sobbed, feeling at fault. She wished she had eaten more, but she was giving her toddlers the food. She didn’t want them to die.

Poppy grabbed a blanket and quietly delivered the miscarried baby. She covered her up so that the trollings didn’t see her. She sat down and gently pulled Pearl into her lap. She held her and cried with her. She was sad for her daughter and lost grandchild.

Basil sat up and snuggled into Poppy and Pearl. He cried with them. His heart was broken.

Bask put the blanket the baby was in on his lap. He sniffled and pulled Basil, Pearl, and Poppy into a hug. Tears ran down his cheeks. He was very worried about his unborn baby. The sad reality that the younger babies may not survive this famine shook him to his core. He silently prayed that him, Penelope, and Rocket would make it to term. These tragedies were heartbreaking. These lost babies were the future of the colony. It was terrifying to lose them.


	7. A Happy Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wisp gets to see her father for the first time in eight years.

A few more days had gone by, and the search party that was on their way to rescue the village were getting close. Flick pointed towards the lake and smiled. “It’s right there!” He hurried towards the lake. His heart was racing. He was hoping that his fathers were alright.

Cumin and Nutmeg stayed with the group so that they didn’t lose them. They both gave Wisp a smile. They knew she was looking forward to this all week.

Wisp followed Flick. She had tears in her eyes. She had come along, wanting to see her father. She had heard something happened to Marjoram and Nim, but Flick, Nutmeg, and Cumin refused to tell her what happened. They told her it was for Biggie to tell.

Back at the shelter, DJ Suki was snuggled up to Leaf. They had been eating a little better the last few days, but her stomach was turning. She groaned and snuggled close to her mate. She was worried now that she was pregnant. It was not a good time to be pregnant. She feared she had made a mistake.

Aquamarine was brushing Stream’s hair. Everyone was getting ready to pack up and leave. Now that they had eaten the last few days and had a chance to regain their strength, it was time for them to move on. They were not going to survive here. He glanced over at DJ Suki. He was worried about her. She didn’t look well. He was also worried about Flick. He had been gone now for two weeks, and he feared his oldest living child was gone and his possibly youngest child was in grave danger of losing his or her life.

Flick came crashing into the shelter. He ran straight over to Aquamarine and gave him the tightest hug. “Dad! We found another colony and they are willing to take us in!” He had tears of joy running down his cheeks. His fathers were thin, but they looked alright. He was so glad they were both still alive.

Everyone looked up from their packing and gave Flick a questioning look. They were happy to see he was alive, but curious about what he was talking about.

“Flick! Oh my god, you’re alive! Thank god…” Aquamarine held his eighteen-year-old son and let out a happy sob. “I was so worried that we lost you…”

“You found a colony? Are their spirits good?” Stream hugged his son and held him close. He was so glad that he was alright.

Flick nodded and grinned. “There are a couple of survivors from the fire living there. They look great!” He heard the door open and looked over at Wisp. He was so glad she was alright. He knew Biggie was going to be thrilled.

Wisp came into the shelter and looked around. She saw a lot of new faces, and some faces she recognized. She spotted her father near the back of the shelter and made her way towards him. “Dad!” She had tears in her eyes. She got over to him and threw herself onto him. She hugged into him and began to sob. “I missed you so much!”

Biggie was packing up clothes and supplies when he heard a familiar voice. He looked towards the voice and widened his eyes. He thought at first that he was looking at Nim, which was impossible. She had died right in front of his eyes. He gasped when Wisp hugged into him. “Oh, my Dinkles! Wisp!” He fainted from shock, and almost crushed little Minnow. Thankfully he had moved out of the way just in time.

Wisp gasped and laid him down flat. “Oh dad…” She smiled softly and looked up at her new family. She frowned, realizing that Marjoram and Nim were indeed not with her father. There were two adults with him instead, a teenager, and little ones that she didn’t recognize at all. She figured they were probably too young for her to even know. They all looked younger then nine, and it had been eight and a half years since she was separated from her family.

Emma was sitting by Rocket. They were going through clothes and trying to decide what was going, and what was staying there. She saw the exchange Biggie had with this young troll. She stood up and gasped when he fainted. “Wisp? I heard a lot about you. Your dad thought you died in the fire.”

Rocket looked worried. He moved to Biggie and sighed. “Silly Teddy Bear…” He fanned him and smiled softly. He was glad Wisp was alive. He knew it broke Biggie’s heart that he lost his oldest children. One of them was still alive after all.

Biggie began to come to. He looked up at Wisp and smiled softly. “You survived the fire…” Happy tears filled his eyes. He got up and pulled her into a tight hug. “I’m so glad you made it…”

“I’m glad you made it too dad.” Wisp held him. She had so many questions, but she was glad that she was reunited with him. It had been way too long.

After introductions were made, and Flick talked to Poppy and Guy Diamond, everyone finished packing up, and headed towards the new colony. They were all happy that there was hope now. It looked like they would survive the rest of the winter after all.


	8. Long Time No See

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An unexpected reunion at the new colony brings back bad memories.

It took about a week for the rescued trolls to make it to the new colony. As they approached, King Robin walked towards them. He had a warm smile on his face. He knew they had warned him that the colony was large, but he was not expecting this many. He was glad they had a lot of food stored up for the rest of the winter.

“Welcome to your new home. My name is King Robin. I’m the leader here. Make yourselves at home and begin to unpack. We will work on introductions after you all settle and warm up.” Robin looked around and smiled when he saw Wisp. He walked over to her and gave her a hug. “I missed you. I guess Flick wasn’t kidding when he said your old colony was huge.”

“Yeah, there were far more then I expected too. More trolls then I thought survived the fire, and a lot of children had been born. There was also a small colony that joined them about three years ago too.” Wisp returned the hug and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you for accepting them.”

“Oh my god, look at all those dwarf trolls.” A very light pink, almost white eighteen-year-old female troll observed. She had red hair and scarlet eyes. She approached Robin and put her hands on her hips. “What the hell are we going to do with all those tiny bodies?! This isn’t going to work!” She had been complaining to him the entire time the search party was gone. She was scared. She had heard that the number of this colony was huge, and she feared they would be mean and kill them all for their food and supplies.

“Calm down Bubbles. It’s going to be fine. Dad said that he lived with dwarf trolls for years. They may be tiny, but I bet you as many as there are, they are the feistiest ones in the entire group.” Robin smiled and went to help unload materials off Coffee. He was happy to see a tamed tokami. He heard they could be great companions but were very greedy predators. This one appeared to be a good kitty.

“Do you have a problem with dwarfs?” Keith came walking up and looked up at Bubbles. He had seen his family come up and didn’t like that Bubbles had retaliated. Almost all of the dwarfs in the village were related to him, or to Fairy.

“I guess not.” Bubbles sighed and went to help unpack. She gasped, seeing that there were two trolls with missing arms. She shot a glance towards Robin. She was worried they were taking in worthless trolls that were not going to be able to take care of themselves. She thought this was a terrible idea. She had a feeling there were more trolls in this colony that had hidden health problems. They appeared to let those with disabilities live. A concept that was unheard of here.

Smidge helped Branch off Coffee. He was still weak and thin but was feeling better today. She looked around, and then walked towards King Robin. “Thank you for accepting our colony. I appreciate it. We have so many little ones that would have died if it wasn’t for your kindness.

“Oh my god…” An old troll named Rusty came walking over. He was maroon with pink hair that was turning white. He had light blue eyes, just like Branch’s eyes. “Do my old eyes deceive me? Branch? Is that you?!” He stopped in front of Branch and looked him up and down. “I thought you died as a child.” He glanced around and frowned. “Oh, dear god, are all these children yours?” He was worried Branch procreated. This was not good news. He knew all too well what this could mean for the family curse.

“Dad?!” Branch dropped his jaw. Fairy had told him that he had disappeared from their village nearly twenty-two years ago. He had a look of disbelief on his face. He thought his father had been killed by his mother. He had a million questions but was unable to get any of those questions out.

“You had children? Where is your oldest? Did he or she procreate? If so, is the cursed child alive? I thought you had agreed with me that you would never have children?!” Rusty eyed Sky. He looked like he might be the oldest. The old troll looked wary.

“Yes, I have several children. The oldest is dead. Unfortunately, he did procreate, and no I’m not telling you who the oldest of his children are. I know what you will do.” Branch crossed his arms and sneered. “You have a lot of explaining to do, and we’re going to have to set down some ground rules, because you’re not killing anyone. Do I make myself clear?!” He knew his father. He did not accept trolls with disabilities, just like his mother. He was suddenly worried about his blind son and blind granddaughter, Symphony, Rocket, and Pearl. He was also very worried about Sapphire’s safety.

When Branch raised his voice, everyone became defensive. Something was going on. Branch was suddenly surrounded by Biggie, Emma, Poppy, Guy Diamond, DJ Suki, Alexandrite, Cherry, Pistachio, Clover, Midnight, and Basil. All of them had knives out, ready to defend Branch.

Smidge came running over and pulled a knife out. She glared at Rusty. She was going to protect her mate and children without hesitation.

“Oh my god! See I told you this was a bad idea!” Bubbles pulled out her own knife and got between Robin and the new colony. Everyone was on edge.

“What’s going on?!” Robin looked at Rusty, then at Branch. He was so confused.

“My father abandoned me when I was a child with an evil queen! I was almost killed. He is cold hearted and cruel!” Cherry snapped. She glared at Rusty. She didn’t trust her father at all.

“Whoa! Easy does it. I did what I had to in order to survive an evil kingdom. I’m not the same troll you knew twenty-two years ago. Please, put your knives down.” Rusty began to back away. He had a bad feeling they were going to be outnumbered and killed off. He wouldn’t blame Branch and Cherry for it either. He knew what he had done in the past was wrong.

“Branch, I don’t sense an evil presence in your father. I think he is telling the truth.” Creek said calmly, although he was on the defense too. There were a lot of children to protect, and they were all still very thin from three weeks of poor nutrition.

“He has to accept my conditions!” Branch snapped. “We have trolls in our colony that my father would have helped my mother kill! I’m not taking chances on their lives!”

“I won’t allow anyone to kill your villagers. I’m in charge. I will not allow murders.” Robin reassured. “Please calm down and put your weapons away.”

“I won’t harm any of you.” Rusty had his hands out. He looked at Bubbles. “Bubbles put your knife away. It’ll be alright.” He looked at Branch, and then at Robin. “Robin, meet your oldest brother Branch. The female who is beside him is your sister, Cherry.”

Bubbles grumbled and put her knife away. She wasn’t sure she could trust these trolls. 

Robin’s confusion only deepened. “I thought you said Branch died as a child?” He knew why Cherry had been left behind. His father had explained that in order for them both to escape, he had to leave Cherry, or Willow would have done everything in her power to find them, and they both would have certainly been killed.

“No, I ran away from home to escape my mother’s evil wrath.” Branch looked at Robin, and then at Rusty. He saw the family resemblance and was a little confused how his brother ended up with two toned hair, but he knew very little about his family history.

“You abandoned me.” Cherry muttered. She was not sure about this. She looked at Poppy and Guy Diamond. “Do not turn your backs on these trolls. I have a bad feeling this is not going to go over well. I recommend every single one of them be checked for evil tendencies. I wouldn’t give them their full trust, until we are all certain that they are not lying. I will not risk my family and friends.”

Poppy nodded and looked at King Robin, and former King Rusty. “Alright, let’s give this a trail. We are desperate, and appreciate your willingness to help, but if anything happens to any of our members, we will defend them without mercy. Do I make my self clear?” She was firm. She might not have been the leader of this colony, but she was going to protect her own colony. They were all very precious to her.

“I completely understand.” King Robin nodded and looked them over. He was curious who all they were defensive about. He could see there were two trolls with only one arm, but that was not a problem to him. He had a feeling those two were not the only ones they were all worried about.

“Alright, let’s finish unpacking. Everything is going to be fine.” Poppy reassured. She helped unpack Coffee. They outnumbered this colony. She was confident that they were going to be just fine but had a feeling tensions were going to be high for a while. Branch looked tense, and she had a feeling they were not going to stay at this new home long, unless they all learned to get along.


	9. Dear Ole Dad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Branch sets up a meeting with his father.

It took about a week for everyone to settle down in the new village. Once everyone was all set up in flower pods, Branch requested that him and some of his friends and relatives gather to talk to his dad, little brother, and he found out he also had a baby sister. He had so many questions.

They all gathered at Cherry’s flower pod. Pistachio had taken their three children over to Branch’s flower pod. This was a meeting that none of the children needed to be involved in. Branch, Smidge, Creek, Penelope, Cherry, Pistachio, Rusty, Robin, and a twenty-one-year-old olive-green troll with blue hair and blue eyes named Olive were all present.

“Tell me what happened. Why did you leave my mom, and how did you manage to escape alive?” Branch crossed his arms. He was still wary and had a feeling his father was going to cause them problems. Especially for little Sapphire.

Rusty took a deep breath and began to explain. “It was twenty-two years ago. I had become romantically involved with another troll in the village. It was the first time I had felt love with another troll. Your mother had controlled me all my adult life. One thing led to another, and well, I ended up pregnant with Olive. Your brother, Robin was near the age of one year old, when your mother had told me that he was too soft, and that if that didn’t change, she was going to kill him on his first birthday, just like she had done with every other child she had, except for you and Cherry. It was around this time that I began to gain weight. Your mother figured out I was pregnant. She was confused, because I was in my forties, and she didn’t know I had relations with another male. She told me if I had cheated on her, she would slaughter my child, and castrated me. It was around this time we had dealt with a civil war. She was already on her wits end, and I had had enough of her madness. As soon as she left to go looking for you again, I picked up Robin and I left. I travelled for weeks, before stopping at this location. A dying colony was here. They took me in, and accepted me as a leader, since I had told them I had leadership skills. I have been here since, raising Robin and Olive myself, hoping to leave behind the hell that your mother caused in me for twenty-two years of my life.” He eyed Smidge, Creek, and Penelope. He was surprised to find out his son had three mates. “Tell me, why did you break my promise about not having children?”

“That started out by accident.” Branch glanced at Smidge. “I made the mistake of assuming this lovely lady, was unable to conceive children due to her stature.” He yelped when Smidge jabbed him in the ribs. “Smidge…” He shot a glare at her. “A week after Smidge and I claimed each other, my mother arrived, and forced me to mate with all my friends. She didn’t know it, but I only mated with Smidge and Creek, and Creek mated with me. Between the three of us, four children resulted. I’m the one who had the twins. Smidge was the one that gave birth to my oldest child. She threatened the life of anyone who dared kill her baby, so he ended up living for seventeen years, before she ended his life, to save my life.” He sighed heavily. “After having the first four children, I fell in love with having kids. I enjoyed every milestone, giggle, smile, and overall joy that my children gave me. That, and for some reason, we all kept having multiples. Several sets of twins, and two sets of triplets…”

“No surprise there. I’m a twin, and your mother miscarried twins between Cherry and Robin. I believe multiples run on both sides of the family.” Rusty looked over at Cherry. “I regret leaving you Cherry. I can see you’re angry, but if I brought you with me, Robin, Olive, and I would have all died.”

Cherry had her arms crossed. She was angry, and nothing he was saying changed her mind. Her childhood was awful, and she still remembered it like it had happened recently. “You should have killed mother. It would have solved the whole thing.”

“It wasn’t that easy Cherry. Your mother was smart. I had thought of killing her long before you were even born. I had watched several assassination attempts, and all resulted in the death of the attempted murderer. I was scared. Call me a coward if you want, but I had to do what I could to survive.” Rusty sighed heavily. He had so many regrets. He hadn’t lived an easy life.

“I think I understand now.” Branch sighed and looked at his little brother and sister. “I guess we have a lot of catching up to do, but so long as you don’t harm my friends or family, we can give this a try. I do have a question. Who is going to be our leader? Poppy and Guy Diamond have been great leaders, but it sounds like Robin is also a good leader.”

“For now, we can each rule our colonies side by side and work together. We will work out a leadership understanding once we get to know each other more. I might even marry one of their children, so that we can combine colonies as one without having to decide one who will take over.” Robin smiled at them.

“That’s going to be interesting. Poppy’s oldest is seventeen years old and is male. You’re going to have to wait one more year.” Branch smiled softly. He wondered how that might work out. He knew how protective Poppy was of Alexandrite. Especially after losing Jewel. Only time would tell how this would work out.


	10. A Wary Father

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aquamarine has a hard time adjusting to the new place, and he has other concerns as well.

Aquamarine was making cookies. He had a special treat for DJ Suki. It had been a month since they had moved to the new colony, and she was now two and a half months pregnant. He had been making sure she got extra calories, since she had gotten thin during the four weeks of famine. He put the cookies in a box and set the box in his backpack. He grabbed Stream’s hand and made his way towards Leaf and DJ Suki’s flower pod. He got to the door and knocked on it.

Symphony answered the door. She smiled and signed hello. She let them in and pointed towards the bedroom. She signed that her mother had just woke up, and that she was getting dressed for the day. She walked to the kitchen and began making a pot of coffee for her and Cookie.

Cookie ran over to Stream and gave her uncle a hug. “Sorry, don’t have time to talk. Have a lot to do today. See you two later. Bye!” She ran out the door and towards the river. She was meeting with one of the villagers there. She had met a nice thirteen-year-old male named Dim, and they had been hitting it off nicely.

“She looks happy.” Stream chuckled. He sat down at the couch and pulled his notebook out of his hair. He went through his list of what he wanted to do today. He was hoping to get everything done. It was now two weeks into spring, and it was generally a very busy time of the year.

Aquamarine put his backpack down and pulled the cookies out. He set them on the counter and set his backpack aside. He was tense. He had had a hard time adjusting to the idea of living around Rusty. He recalled a lot of what Rusty did. Some of it was good. He had to admit that, but some of it was bad. Very bad. Rusty had held his mate down, when Willow killed him. His mate was the last troll Rusty had helped kill. It was something he wasn’t going to forgive or forget. He didn’t trust Rusty at all.

“Are you alright Aqua?” DJ Suki came out. She had recently undone her dreads. Her hair was one big puff of curls. She had decided that after the famine, she was going to redo her dreads. Fixing her hair was always a lengthy process. It took weeks to fix her hair, and she wanted to get it done before she became too swollen in the midsection to do it comfortably.

Stream looked up and smiled. He eyed her belly, noticing her babies were still healthy and going strong. He had been happy, but nervous to find out she was expecting triplets. He was hoping it would work out for her, but at least she got what she wanted, even if it was more than expected. It was a miracle that they had survived the famine.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Aquamarine lied. He picked up the box of cookies and handed it to her. “You have your dreads down. Your curls are pretty.” He smiled at her. He could see that she was already getting a very tiny bump. He was so glad that their attempt worked the first time. He didn’t want to do that again.

“I have a bone to pick with you two.” Leaf walked up to Aquamarine and put her hands on her hips. “Triplets?! Seriously...?” She glared over at Stream. “And you knew, didn’t you?!”

Stream laughed nervously. “Yeah, I knew. I don’t like spoiling the surprise.” He got up and walked over. “It’s going to be alright Leaf. We can help out. I know three is a lot, but it’s going to work out.”

“Easy for you to say. You don’t have to carry them.” DJ Suki smiled softly. I’m scared, but so far they seem to be doing alright.” She opened the box of cookies and began eating one. Morning sickness hadn’t lasted long for her this time, and her body was demanding extra calories. She felt like she was always starving.

Aquamarine laughed nervously. “Yeah, sorry about that. Although I had no control over how many resulted.” He smiled softly. “I’ll help you two out through the rest of the pregnancy and with anything you need after. They will be half mine after all, and it’s only fair.”

“We might pawn off one to you two.” Leaf squeaked when DJ Suki jabbed her in the ribs. “I’m kidding DJ!” She backed away and blushed. She knew DJ Suki was already protective of her triplets. “Any help will be appreciated though. She’ll need to go on bedrest soon so that that triplets have a better chance of making it to term.”

“That won’t be easy with kids around the house. We can always babysit when you need a break.” Although Stream knew Amber was not that hard to watch. Symphony, Rush, and Cookie were all old enough to take care of themselves.

“I’m pretty sure we can manage. Symphony keeps good tabs on Amber and she keeps her in line.” DJ Suki smiled and began to eat another cookie. “Who made these? They are amazing…”

“I’m guilty.” Aquamarine laughed. “I’ll make you more and bring them over as you want them.” He smiled at Stream. He had a feeling he was going to be baking a lot of cookies for the next three months. He really hoped for DJ Suki that she would make it to term. He knew she was looking forward to becoming a mother again.


	11. A Pain Like No Other

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rocket experiences a pain he has never gone through before.

A couple of weeks later, Rocket was doing his usual routine at home. He was almost six months pregnant and couldn’t believe how uncomfortable he was. His loving mates had warned him that pregnancy was a pain, but he didn’t think it was this bad during the last month. His baby was stretching and kicking him in places he never thought he would feel pain and discomfort. He sat down after helping the twins with homework and put his hand on his swollen belly. He sighed tiredly. He had a better respect now of what Emma had went through with her pregnancies. This was not easy.

“You’re looking a little winded Rocket.” Wisp had let them move into her flower pod. She had missed out on eight years of being with her daddy, so she was trying to catch up with him and his new life with Rocket and Emma. She now understood why he had chosen them as mates after her mother had been murdered. They were both total sweethearts.

“I’m very uncomfortable this evening.” Rocket sighed and bit his bottom lip. He was in the middle of a contraction. It was a pain he had never felt before.

Wisp watched her stepdad and frowned, realizing he was in pain. She sat down and put her hand on his belly. She had quite a bit of medical experience thanks to Citrine. She could feel that his belly was hard. “You’re having a contraction.” She looked at her hug time bracelet. She watched the time and looked up at him when she felt the next one. “Are you having the baby here, or the medical pod?”

“Knowing Biggie, I’ll be having the baby in the medical pod.” Rocket smiled softly. He looked up when Biggie and Emma came in from a trip to the river. He went to stand up and groaned in pain. He put his hand on his belly and frowned. “Oh god, these hurt…”

“He’s in labor. The contractions are five minutes apart.” Wisp informed Biggie. She had a feeling he was going to go into panic mode.

Biggie widened his eyes and walked over. He gently picked Rocket up and carried him to the bedroom. He set him down in bed and began setting the room up. He looked his normal panicky self, but he decided unless something bad happened, he would help Rocket at home, with Emma’s help since he was a puker and fainter.

Emma smiled softly. “We were just talking about this. Good timing I suppose.” She walked to the bedroom and helped Biggie get Rocket set up in the bedroom.

“I thought you would carry me to the medical pod, like you did with Emma.” Rocket looked confused. He winced during the next contraction and grasped onto a pillow tightly.

Wisp smiled softly and grabbed some blankets. She also made sure an empty trashcan was easily accessible. She had a feeling her father might puke.

“Not with this new village. There are too many new faces in the medical pod this time of night. If Honey was there, it would be a different story, but I won’t risk something happening to you Rocket. Unless you have complications, you will be having our baby here.” Biggie explained. He sat on the edge of the bed and took Rocket’s hand. “Squeeze during the contractions Rocket. I love you…” He reached down and kissed him gently.

“I love you too Teddy Bear.” Rocket kissed him back, then squeezed his hand tightly and hollered during the next contraction. He had a huge respect for his mates. This wasn’t easy.

Emma sat down behind Rocket and began rubbing his lower back. She recalled how painful contractions were and wanted him to be as comfortable as possible. “You’re very brave daddy. It’s going to be alright.”

Roughly two hours later, Rocket was snuggled right up to Biggie. He was shaking from the pain and squeezed tightly during a strong contraction. He cried out in pain. “Oh god, it hurts so bad!”

“I see the baby Rocket. You’re doing so good. One more contraction.” Emma had a blanket ready. She was proud of him. He had been handling the labor well.

Biggie was laying down. He felt dizzy and thought he would be alright so long as he was snuggling with Rocket. He kept a hold of his hand. He was nervous. “You can do it Rocket.”

Wisp came in with a cup of coffee. She set it down and watched in awe. She came back in just in time to see her youngest sibling being born.

Rocket breathed between contractions and gritted his teeth as he delivered a baby girl. She was a medium shade of blue and had blue green hair. She began letting out cries as Emma dried her clean. She was not surprised to see the baby come out blue. There was not much of a shade difference between Biggie and Rocket.

“Good job Rocket. She’s beautiful.” Emma gently gave the baby to Rocket. She sat down next to him and wiped his face of sweat. “I’m proud of you.” She kissed him and ran her hand through his blue hair.

Biggie looked up at his daughter. He smiled and reached over. “Hello precious…” He kissed Rocket and smiled.

“Precious…I like it. Let’s name her Precious?” Rocket leaned into Biggie and breathed. He was very tired.

“She is so pretty.” Wisp smiled at her parents. “You did a great job Rocket.”

Emma watched on and smiled softly. She was happy that everything went smoothly for Rocket, but she was still worried about his future. By the way Branch acted, and how he had been talking, Rusty was not one to trust around the disabled. She didn’t trust any of the new villagers around her husband. She was worried about him. She always kept him close lately. She hoped that she wouldn’t lose them because they didn’t understand. Rocket lost his arm to save his life. It was not a warrant for a death sentence. She hoped that the new villagers would leave him alone, because she was determined to protect him with her life.


	12. Silence Is Key

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Symphony runs into some trouble when she leaves the flower pod alone.

Two weeks later, Symphony was on her way towards the river. She was looking for Cookie. She had asked her sister to go with her to visit Creek, Branch, Smidge, and Penelope, but Cookie had run off, before she could finish getting ready for the day. Her little sister annoyed her to no end, and was way too hyper for her liking, but she loved her anyway. She sighed and looked around for Cookie, but her brat little sister was no where to be seen. She threw her arms in the air, giving up on her search for her curly haired sibling. She grunted and headed towards the village. She had her arms crossed and looked like she was in a bad mood.

“Hey! I don’t think I caught your name…” Bubbles came running behind Symphony. She had no clue that the fifteen-year-old was deaf. She frowned, annoyed that Symphony didn’t answer her. “What has your panties in a twist?!” She stopped in front of Symphony and crossed her arms. “Answer my question!”

Symphony startled badly. She wasn’t used to trolls popping up in front of her like that. She sighed and walked around Bubbles. She was told to not interact with any of the new trolls. She knew why and was now concerned. She was alone, and no one was there to answer questions for her or talk for her. Her dark raspberry colored skin darkened around her cheeks. She was embarrassed and worried.

“Don’t ignore me!” Bubbles grabbed Symphony’s arm and held it firmly. 

Symphony grabbed Bubbles with her other arm, kicked her in the leg, and then grabbed her, put her over her shoulder, and slammed her on the ground. She backed away and then ran towards Branch’s flower pod. She did that in self-defense but was now worried she was in a lot of trouble. She was scared.

Bubbles widened her eyes when she got kicked and then slammed hard onto the ground. She wasn’t expecting that reaction at all. “What the fuck?!” She got up and ran after her. “What the hell is your problem?!”

Symphony turned and saw Bubbles was hot on her heels. She turned and pulled a knife out on Bubbles. She gritted her teeth, not wanting to use it unless she had to. She grunted and motioned her to go away with her free hand. 

Bubbles saw her pull out her knife. She was surprised to see a teenager with a knife, but she pulled her own out just in case. “All I asked was for your name! What is your problem?!”

Basil had heard the commotion and picked up on Symphony’s distress. “Something is going on with Symphony!” He called out as he ran towards his little sister. He came running up to the scene and got between where he sensed Bubbles and Symphony locations. “What the hell is going on here?!”

Symphony put her knife away, and then put her hand on Basil. She buried her face into his shirt and hugged him from behind. She was scared. She looked around Basil and watched Bubbles.

“I just wanted to know her fucking name and she got all defensive! What the hell is her problem?!” Bubbles put her knife away, since Symphony put her knife away. She crossed her arms. She was not amused.

“Her name is Symphony. Cool your jets. She can’t talk. Is that a problem?!” Basil was on edge. He didn’t like Bubbles’ attitude.

Several other trolls, including Smidge, Branch, Creek, Guy Diamond, Leaf, and Habanero showed up as well. The commotion had got their attentions.

Symphony saw Creek. She ran over to Creek and hugged into him. She was frightened and shaking.

“She is mute? Well she didn’t have to slam me onto the ground like she did! That hurt!” Bubbles glared at Symphony as she watched her retreat to her father. She thought for a moment, and then widened her eyes. “She is deaf too, isn’t she?!”

“So, what if she is?! What the hell are you going to do about it?!” Basil was on edge. He had tried hard the last month and a half to act like he wasn’t blind, and so far, he was pretty sure he had them all fooled, but he knew it was harder for Symphony to hide the fact that she was deaf. It left her mute, and at times vulnerable. He didn’t like that Bubbles had scared her.

Bubbles looked down and frowned. She sighed and backed away. “Absolutely nothing. Sorry to upset you all. It was a misunderstanding.” She flushed and retreated for her flower pod. She went inside and locked the door. She looked outside from her window. She sighed and closed her curtain. She backed away and sat on her couch. She felt bad now. She was hard of hearing herself and had been acting tough for years to try and hide the fact that she had her own disability. She felt bad for yelling at Symphony. She understood the struggle when it came to trolls talking from behind or whispering instead of talking in normal tones. She sighed and took out a cone shaped seashell out of her right ear. She had been using it to hear better, and it was small enough that no one seemed to notice it. She put it in a box and went to grab a book to read. She kept glancing at the door, worried that someone might kick her door in. She didn’t want to hear them yell at her. She wasn’t going to understand it through the door anyway.

The group left, except for Basil. He paced outside for some time, before walking towards Bubble’s spiritual presence. He wanted to talk to her. He was confused by her emotions, and her spiritual presence. She acted all tough, but her emotional presence didn’t fool him. He sensed fear, and she had a good spiritual presence. He was very confused. He got to her door and knocked on it. When he got no answer, he knocked louder. “Bubbles! Answer this door!”

Bubbles saw her door shake. She put her seashell back in her ear and walked over to the door. She heard Basil’s muffled yelling from the other side. She swallowed hard and unlocked the door. She cracked it open and frowned. “I’m sorry, alright? Please leave me alone.”

“What is your problem?!” Basil pushed his way into her flower pod and closed the door. He didn’t move any further, because he didn’t want to trip on furniture.

Bubbles cringed when he barged in. She looked him in the eyes and sighed. “I was wrong. I’m sorry…” Her heart was racing. She could tell Basil was livid.

“You’re scared out of your mind. What the hell is going on?! The way you act, and the emotions you express are complete polar opposites…” Basil crossed his arms and looked in her general direction.

“I had a bad day, alright?” Bubbles frowned and backed away. “Get out of my flower pod!”

“You’re lying.” Basil snapped. “What is really going on? Don’t lie to me! I’m a spiritual troll and I can tell the difference between the truth and a lie!”

Bubbles winced and swallowed hard. “I’m hard of hearing, alright?! My mother was killed when I was a child because she was deaf! I’m scared…” Tears ran down her cheeks. She backed up to the wall and began to shake.

“What?!” Basil tensed up. “Who killed your mother?” He looked worried.

“Rusty did it.” Bubbles rubbed her right arm. “He told me it was because he had no room in the kingdom for defeats. I’ve had to hide the fact that my hearing is poor since. Please don’t tell…”

“Dad was right about Rusty. What an asshole.” Basil sneered. He sighed and carefully shuffled his way towards her. He bumped into her couch and went around it. He stopped and took her hand. “Your secret is safe. Don’t worry. We will figure out what to do with Rusty. He is wrong. Does Robin know?”

“Yes, he knows, and was the one that suggested I act tough.” Bubbles sighed softly. “Are you blind? You ran into my couch…”

“Yes, but you have to keep that secret too.” Basil smiled softly. “No more yelling at my family, alright? You have them all thinking you’re this total bitch.”

“Your secret is safe with me. I understand.” Bubbles was still tense, but she felt a little bit better. She sighed and looked towards the door. “Tell Symphony that I’m very sorry.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll talk to her.” Basil smiled and gave her a warm hug. He then turned and made his way to the door. “If you need anything, don’t be afraid to ask.” He headed out the door. He understood why she was scared and didn’t blame her one bit. He was going to have a talk with Branch. It sounded like Rusty might be a huge problem. He was worried about the safety if all the disabled trolls in the village.


	13. Through The Grape Vine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aquamarine makes a decision for the health and safety of the colony.

If there was one thing everyone knew about Basil, it was that he wasn’t good about keeping secrets. It quickly spread among his colony that Rusty had killed Bubbles’ mother because of being deaf. Everyone was now very stressed and tense. Especially DJ Suki and her family, Creek and his family, and all their friends. Pretty much everyone was livid that the old troll had killed a mother because she couldn’t hear. It was as if he had killed an older Symphony.

Aquamarine put a box, containing a knife in his hair. He kissed Stream and told him he loved him. He gave each of their children a hug, and then headed out of his flower pod. He looked around for the old man. He was going to end him himself. He was done with the madness that was this old troll. He may have had a nice spirit, and he may have acted nice, but the deeds he had done in his past were unforgivable. He spotted Rusty down by the river. He was fishing. He came up behind him and grabbed him by the arm. He dragged him away from the water, and then pinned him down. “You killed my mate and let that devil woman kill my babies! Now I’m going to kill you!” He raised his knife up and sneered when Rusty stopped his arm midair with his hair. A struggle began between the two. Rusty grabbed his own knife, and stabbed Aquamarine in the chest a few times. He was aiming for his heart but missed all three times. Aquamarine hollered in pain, and then wriggled his arm out of Rusty’s hair and began stabbing him multiple times in the chest and abdomen. He didn’t stop until he lost consciousness. 

Rusty died within minutes of blood loss. 

Aquamarine was sprawled out on top of him and was bleeding out.

The commotion got the attention of everyone who was nearby. Soon there was a huge crowd around them.

Sprout ran over to Aquamarine and pulled him off Rusty. He rolled him on his side and began healing him. His eyes were wide. He feared Aquamarine might bleed to death. “Oh god, please don’t die on us.” He was very worried about Aquamarine. He was not surprised that he killed Rusty.

Robin came up to the scene and widened his eyes. “What happened?!” He checked his father’s pulse and teared up when he didn’t find one. “Oh my god…” He sank to his knees and began to cry.

Everyone looked at each other. No one had seen what started the fight. Poppy’s colony members had a very good idea of why Aquamarine had got into a fight with Rusty.

“Dad?!” Olive ran over and began to sob. She pulled him into her arms and began to sob inconsolably.

“Oh my god, what the hell?!” Branch came up to the scene and frowned. “Damn it Aquamarine…” He sighed and looked at his younger siblings. “I’m so sorry.” He had tried to talk Aquamarine out of killing his father and had tried to point out that Rusty had appeared to change his ways, but it appeared Aquamarine had taken the matter into his own hands. Did he blame him? No, but he had a bad feeling this was going to cause some serious problems. “I think he was worried Rusty might kill some of our members because of their disabilities.”

Robin just nodded. He picked up his father and headed for his flower pod. He had tears running down his cheeks. “Branch, Olive, please follow me.”

Olive was right on his heels. She sniffled and rubbed her face of tears.

Branch followed his brother. He was concerned, but knew his brother was a good troll, and would make the right decisions for the health of the colony.

Robin got to the flower pod and set his father down on the ground. He grabbed a washcloth, a set of clean clothes, and a brush. He began to work on getting his father ready for burial. “I had a bad feeling this was going to happen.” He swallowed hard. “Dad was so set in his ways and didn’t listen. I told him killing off the disabled was a bad idea. I have trolls here that I have told to hide and keep quiet around my father. I was so worried he was going to kill someone when you came here. I’m both relieved and sad. He did have a good heart. His mind and heart were clouded by a bad past and poor teachings.” He sighed and gave the brush to Olive. “By some miracle, he never did kill Olive. She’s blind in one eye. It apparently was not a warrant of death in his eyes. I just don’t understand his reasonings behind why he chose one troll to live, but not all. It was as if he couldn’t make up his mind who mattered, and who was going to be as he called it, ‘a waste of space.’”

“Dad told me he kept me alive because I could at least see out of one eye. It wasn’t like Rose.” Olive looked up at Branch as she brushed their father’s hair. “I’m going to miss him…” She sniffed and rubbed her cheeks of more tears.

“I’m sorry again.” Branch helped Robin clean Rusty up. He would help them give his father a proper funeral. He was hoping this would relieve tension, but only time would tell if this was going to make everyone relax or not.

Back at the medical pod, Aquamarine was sat down on a medical bed. He was given a blood transfusion. Creek and Stream were now by his side, along with DJ Suki, Leaf, and Flick. They all looked worried. They had a bad feeling Aquamarine would be killed for his actions. Only time would tell if his actions would end him, or if he would be considered a hero for what he had just done.


	14. All The Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Penelope gives her family a sweet little gift.

It had been three weeks since Rusty died. Penelope was heavily pregnant and due to have her baby at any time. She paced the flower pod, feeling a huge desire to clean it. She was very restless.

“You should be resting…” Branch walked over to Penelope and pulled her towards him. He gave her a kiss and held her. “Let’s get you something to drink. You look a little dehydrated.” He led her towards the kitchen, and then began setting her up for juice and a snack.

“I’m not hungry Branch. Give the snack to one of the kids.” Penelope drank the juice, and then grimaced. She was having a contraction.

“I’ll take the snack.” Chamomile walked over and looked up at Penelope. She frowned, seeing that she was in pain. “Uh oh…”

“Go get Creek. He’s over at Aquamarine and Stream’s home.” Branch gave her the snack, and then gently picked up Penelope. “I’m taking mama to the medical pod. I will see you there.” He headed out the door with Penelope.

Smidge almost ran into Branch. She had left to grab party supplies. She frowned and set the supplies down inside the flower pod. She took off after Branch. “Is she alright?”

Chamomile ran towards Aquamarine and Stream’s flower pod.

“It’s just a contraction.” Penelope sighed and leaned into Branch. She knew why he was protective and went into panic mode when she went into labor, but she thought he jumped to taking her way too early. She was going to have to be uncomfortable now for a few hours in a medical bed. She hated having Oak in the medical pod. She had been very uncomfortable.

“I know it’s a contraction, but I want you safe.” Branch got into the medical pod and set her down in a bed. He smiled at Citrine and Honey. He helped Penelope get comfortable. He looked nervous but was glad she was in a safe place.

Smidge climbed into the bed and sat by Penelope. She ran her hand through Penelope’s three toned hair. “I love you…”

Honey came over and checked Penelope. She smiled and looked up. “It won’t take too long.” She covered Penelope with a blanket and got the medical pod ready for a newborn.

Creek showed up not long after. He had told Chamomile to go visit Basil for now. He didn’t think she was old enough to watch a birth yet. He sat down beside Penelope and held her hand. “I love you.” He reached over and kissed her.

Branch got behind Penelope and began giving her back a gentle message. “I love you too.”

Keith came into the flower pod. He was covered in blood, and had Layla wrapped up in his hair. He hurried over to a bed and gently set her down. He backed away and began to sob. Layla had just committed suicide while he was in the bathroom. She didn’t make it to the medical pod. He was devastated. He broke down and began to sob.

Smidge looked at her mates, and then got up and hurried over to her little brother. “What happened?!”

Honey came over and checked Layla’s pulse. She frowned, not finding one. She covered her with a blanket and felt her heart sink. She pulled a curtain to give Keith privacy, and so that the laboring mama didn’t have to see the bloody scene.

“I was just going to the bathroom…” Keith was shaking. He hugged into his sister and cried onto her shoulder. “Oh my god…”

Smidge frowned and held him. She had a bad feeling Layla was going to do this. She hadn’t been herself since Gage’s death. “I’m so sorry Keith…”

Branch peeked in and frowned, seeing that Layla was covered up. He backed up and gave Smidge time with Keith. They needed each other right now. He had questions, but he decided he would ask later. He walked over to his mates and looked down and fought back tears. Keith had been through so much, especially lately. He was worried about his brother in law. He helped raise him and was heartbroken for him.

“Is Layla alright?” Penelope bit her bottom lip during a contraction. She looked very worried.

Creek shook his head to Penelope’s question. He had seen her as Keith came in. He had seen that her spiritual presence was gone.

Branch sat down and took Penelope’s hand. He caressed her hand and sniffled. He already planned on having Keith move back in with them for a while. He didn’t need to be alone right now. 

Penelope teared up and began to cry. She hugged into the pillow and buried her face into it.

It was about an hour later, that everything was arranged so that Layla would be buried. Smidge walked over to her mates and hugged into Branch. She sniffled and looked up at him. “He can’t be alone.”

“No, he can’t. He needs to come to our home for a while. Poor guy…” Branch sniffled and looked over at Penelope. “We’re getting close mama. Are you staying to watch?”

Smidge nodded and climbed onto the bed with Penelope. She snuggled into her and held her. “You’re doing a good job Penelope…”

Penelope breathed and hugged into Smidge. She cringed and let out a cry.

Honey walked over and grabbed a blanket. She grabbed a little girl as she was born. She was pink like her mama, with pink and red two-toned hair in the pattern like Creek’s. She began letting out cries as she was cleaned. “She’s very pretty.”

Creek looked up and smiled softly. She had a pink nose even, just like his nose. “She’s beautiful.”

“I want to call her Love.” Penelope sniffled and sat up. When Honey gave her the baby, she held her and ran her hand through her hair. “She’s very cute…” She looked up at her mates. “You three need to get ready for the funeral. Keith needs you.”

Smidge nodded and gave Penelope a kiss. “I love you.” She got off the bed, and then headed home to get ready. Branch followed her.

Creek crawled into the bed with Penelope and held her. He knew the pain of losing a mate and had been down that road before. He was worried about Keith. He had a bad feeling life was going to be rough for him for a while. “Let me know when you want to go home. I’m going to let you rest until you are ready to go.” He had no plans of letting her go anytime soon. He missed Penny.


	15. A Loving Sister

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith must learn how to live without his family.

It had been a few days since Layla’s funeral. Keith hadn’t been out since he helped bury his wife. He had just got done taking a bath and was getting dressed. He grabbed some flowers by his sister’s flower pod, and then headed for his wife and son’s graves. He was gray and showed no interest in participating in activities. He was being followed by a very worried twenty-five-year-old troll named Cloud. He was a light blue troll with dark blue hair and dark blue eyes. He had become friends with Layla and Keith not long after they had arrived at this village. He had a bad feeling his new friend would kill himself and hadn’t been letting him out of his sight when he took shifts to watch him for Smidge, much to Keith’s annoyance. He didn’t want to be constantly bothered, although he understood why.

Cloud grabbed some flowers and followed Keith towards the gravesite. He looked down at his little friend and sighed. “Is there anything I can do to help you Keith?” He had a bad feeling Keith was going to deny help. He understood the pain of losing a mate. His own wife had died a few years earlier in child birth, along with the baby. He understood how much it really hurt. He had tried taking them under his care and love after finding out that they had lost their son, Gage.

“Cloud, I know you’re worried about me, but I really want to be alone to grieve. Especially at the grave site. I miss my wife…” Keith sighed and set the flowers down on Layla’s fresh grave. He sniffled and arranged them to look pretty. He teared up and rubbed his eyes. He was missing her like crazy. Losing her was devasting.

“If I leave you and you kill yourself, I will never forgive myself, and your sister would kill me. Smidge is terrifying.” Cloud frowned and looked towards Smidge’s flower pod. He sighed and walked over to his own wife’s grave. He set the flowers down where she had been laid to rest. He walked back over to Keith and stood next to him to quietly pray for Layla and Gage.

“My sister is tougher than I am. I don’t feel as strong as her. I miss my wife and son.” Tears ran down Keith’s cheeks. He turned and walked towards the village. He went to the base of the home tree and sat down at it’s base. He leaned into the tree and watched everyone walk by.

Cloud followed him and sat down beside him. He wasn’t sure how to comfort his friend. He looked up when Smidge came over.

“Thank you for watching him Cloud. I will take over for now.” Smidge sat down by Keith and handed him a sandwich.

Keith tossed the sandwich away and startled when Smidge whapped him with her hair. He grumbled that he wasn’t hungry.

“Let me know when you need a break.” Cloud got up and walked towards his flower pod.

“Keith, you have to keep living. I know it hurts. I’ve lost babies and a mate before. It’s hard. I get it. But we can’t lose you. You’re very important. We all love you.” Smidge grabbed the sandwich and gave it to him again. She glared at him when he tossed it away again. “You’re very stubborn!” She grabbed it again and shoved it into his mouth.

Keith got a mouthful of sandwich. He spit it out, and then got up and stormed away. He wasn’t amused. “Leave me the hell alone Smidge! You don’t listen!”

“I’m worried about you! You haven’t eaten…” Smidge followed him. “I’ll stop trying to force feed you, alright? Just please stop running from me.”

Keith wedged himself into a rocky crevice and curled up into a ball in the back. He hugged his knees and sniffled. “I just want to be left alone to grieve.”

“I can’t lose you.” Smidge sat just outside the crevice. She watched him from outside, since it was a tight squeeze. She frowned, feeling little Sugar climb out of her hair. She watched as the tiny dwarf trolling walked over to her uncle and snuggled into him. “See? Sugar is worried about you too…” She had been carrying her little daughter around almost constantly since she was born. The sweet little speck of a troll was still very tiny.

Keith pulled Sugar close and held her. He sniffled and closed his eyes. “Smidge, did Honey tell you why Sugar is so small?” He was worried about his little niece.

“She’s a dwarf and she struggled right after her birth for a few months. Honey thinks she will eventually catch up, and if she doesn’t, it’ll be alright. She’s a little fighter.” Smidge smiled softly. Sugar may have been itty bitty, but she had a fierce attitude and acted a lot like her mother already.

“Well, she is sweet.” Keith sighed and cradled her. He looked down at little Sugar and sighed. “I’m sorry for snapping at you Smidge. I’m struggling…”

“I know you are.” Smidge frowned. “It hurts to lose a mate and devastating to lose a child.” She looked towards her flower pod. “I love you Keith…”

“I love you too sis.” Keith chocked up and began to cry. He had thought of ending his life, but he couldn’t do that to Smidge. She was what was keeping him alive at this point. She annoyed him sometimes, but he did love her. “I miss them.”

“I know you do Keith. I’m so sorry.” Smidge pulled a teddy bear out of her hair and gently pushed it towards him. “I was able to recover this from what remained in your flower pod. I had searched it after you had disappeared. I have been afraid to give it to you, after finding out what happened to Gage…”

“Gage’s teddy bear? Thank you, Smidge. This means so much to me right now.” Keith grabbed the teddy bear and snuggled with it and Sugar. He had no plans of letting either of them go for now. He wanted the warmth and love.


	16. An Unexpected Love Affair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sky and Habanero get involved with a troll they were not expecting to fall in love with.

Another week had gone by, and things were starting to slowly smooth out in the village. Everyone appeared to be more relaxed and the pace of the activities seemed to be where they were before the earthquake and famine. The combined colonies were all getting along now, and even Keith was slowly getting himself involved a little bit, although the widower was still gray and depressed.

Sky and Habanero had just got done dropping Dash, Pyro, and Jasmine off at Basil’s for the night. They wanted some alone time, and Basil had volunteered happily. 

Sky was not surprised his brother took them so easily. Basil loved trollings. He spotted Bubbles over by a patch of flowers. He grinned and tiptoed towards her. He had found out she was just a big softy after all. She seemed way more relaxed with Rusty out of the picture. He got behind her and put his hand over her eyes. “Guess who?”

“Erm…Sky, don’t do that.” Habanero frowned when he saw him sneaking up to Bubbles. He thought that was a bad idea after finding out that her mother had been killed by Rusty.

Bubbles squealed when she suddenly felt hands go over her eyes. She grabbed him, turned around, and punched him really hard in the nose. She gasped, let him go, and put her hands over her mouth. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry!”

Sky yelped and put his hand on his nose. He saw that his nose was bleeding. “Oh god, I deserved that…” He hurried towards the medical pod. He was pretty sure she broke his nose.

“I tried to warn you.” Habanero followed Sky and shook his head.

Bubbles followed them. She felt bad for hurting Sky.

Sky went into the medical pod and sighed in relief when Sprout walked over and began to heal him.

Habanero grabbed a wet cloth and began cleaning his mate up. “Goofball…”

“Are you alright?” Bubbles watched Sprout heal Sky. She was not used to having healers around. It was much better then having to wait for things to heal with time.

“Yeah, I’m sorry for scaring you. I don’t know what I was thinking.” Sky got up once he was all clean and healed. He smiled at Bubbles and gave her a hug. “Don’t hit so hard next time?”

“Hit harder…” Habanero smirked and looked up at Bubbles. He thought she was pretty. He glanced at Sky and gave him a dirty grin.

Bubbles hugged Sky back, and blushed when she saw the look Habanero was giving her. She could see he was aroused through his pants. She cleared her throat and bit her bottom lip. “Erm…” She wasn’t sure what to say.

Sky let Bubbles go and looked down at his mate. He laughed when he noticed Habanero was aroused. “I know you like it rough. Come on, let’s go home.” He took Habanero’s hand and headed out of the medical pod.

Habanero winked at Bubbles, and then walked with Sky. He looked up at his mate and grinned. “I bet she would be fun in bed.”

Bubbles followed them out, and then watched them headed for their flower pod. She squirmed shyly and played with her seashell. She wondered if they even knew she was hard of hearing. Basil appeared to have kept her secret like she asked.

“What are you implying?” Sky looked down at Habanero and smiled. He could see that his feisty mate was thinking about dirty thoughts. His member was twitching.

“Mm…well, we could capture her, hog tie her, and see if she begs for more?” Habanero had a huge grin on his face.

“You want to take her on as another mate?” Sky glanced over at Bubbles, and then looked down at Habanero. “She is pretty.” He smiled at him and grinned. He walked back over and grabbed Bubbles by the hand. “We need help at our flower pod.” He headed that way.

“Help with what?!” Bubbles flushed and walked with him. She was nervous. They both looked lovestruck, and she wasn’t sure what to make of it. She had never had feelings like she was feeling right now before. 

“Help in bed.” Habanero smirked and opened the door. He closed it once they got inside. “That is, if you are up to the challenge?”

Sky smirked and turned to Bubbles. “We both think you’re very pretty, and well, if you are willing, we would love to have you join us?”

Bubbles blushed and looked between them. She swallowed hard and bit her bottom lip. Both boys appeared to be eager to get busy in bed. “I’m hard of hearing. I’m not sure you will want me.” Her heart raced. She was really nervous now.

“You are? Well that explains a lot.” Habanero chuckled and took her hand. “I don’t mind.”

“This is a problem? You do realize my sister is deaf, right?” Sky laughed. He wasn’t worried about that at all.

Bubbles began to relax. She shuffled closer to Sky, and then pulled him in for a long tight hug. She was still very nervous, but she felt a lot better knowing that her disability was not a problem at all. “Please don’t break my heart.”

“Don’t worry, we won’t break your heart.” Habanero grinned and took her hand. He kissed it and looked up at her. “Sky, she did break your nose. I think she needs to be punished.”

“Mm, yes, she does.” Sky grabbed her free hand and led her towards the bedroom. He pulled her onto his lap, so her belly was down, and her butt faced Habanero.

Bubbles squeaked when she got dragged into the bedroom. She widened her eyes when she got laid over his lap. She gasped, feeling Habanero pull her panties off. She glanced up at Sky. Her cheeks were bright red. “What are you doing?” She was starting to wonder what she gotten herself into.

Habanero got her panties off, and then spanked her bare bottom.

Bubbles startled and flushed. She squirmed, feeling an odd sensation at the pit of her belly. She bit her bottom lip and grasped the sheets as Habanero began making her butt cheeks red. “Oh my god…” She shivered, feeling wet between the legs.

“I think we broke her.” Sky moved her to the bed and grinned. He could see her cheeks were red. “You did a number on her Habanero. She’s almost as red as you are.” He gently rolled Bubbles to her back. He chuckled, seeing she had a look of bliss on her face. “Oh, she does like it rough.” He smiled at her and reached down, kissing her gently. He ran his hands long her body and helped her out of her dress. He was hungry for her.

Habanero pulled his pants off and got into the bed. He helped Sky out of his pants, and then smacked him in the butt. He grinned, seeing his butt cheek redden where he smacked it. He smirked and positioned himself and pushed his length into Sky. He began thrusting eagerly.

Bubbles returned the kiss and held Sky close. She shivered, feeling his touch.

Sky moaned, feeling Habanero enter him. He shivered and pushed his own length into Bubbles. He held her close and moaned from the double sensation. He was already enjoying this a lot.

Habanero pushed deeper and moaned as Sky bumped hips with him. He had a look of pure bliss.

Bubbles gasped and let out a loud moan. She grasped Sky’s arm and arched her back. She had never mated before, and she loved the sensations she was feeling already. She felt her walls tighten around his swelling. She was very pleased. “Oh my god…”

Sky kissed Bubbles hungrily. He was loving this. He was glad Habanero had suggested she join their family.

This went on for hours, and all three were very loud. They were very pleased with each other, and were not afraid to let the whole village know it.


	17. Joyful Blessings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bask welcome’s his newborn to the world.

It was in the early morning hours that Bask woke up. He got out of bed and held his belly. He was having a contraction. He checked his hug time bracelet, and then got up when it was over. He walked to the kitchen and set himself up for a little breakfast. He yawned and looked at the time again when another contraction hit. He smiled softly and sat down. He began eating his breakfast. He knew he had time and was going to let Pearl and Basil sleep a little longer before waking them up.

Fairy came out of the bedroom and walked towards Bask. She crawled into his lap and put her hand on his belly. She frowned and put her ear against his belly. “Daddy has owwie…”

“I’m alright Fairy.” Bask smiled softly, and then shook his head and blinked. “You know I’m in pain? Wow child, you’re your father’s child.” He had a feeling she was sensing his aura, just like Basil. “Sounds like we are going to have to set you up with classes with grandpa Creek.”

Fairy relaxed when his contraction ended. She could smell he was eating. She quickly grabbed what he had and stuffed it into her mouth. She had unfortunately learned to be very possessive over food no thanks to the famine.

“Fairy, you need to ask for food. You can’t just steal it.” Bask sighed softly and let her finish his breakfast. He was losing his appetite because of the contractions anyway. He set her down in her chair and gave her some juice and more food. He headed for the bedroom and shook Basil gently. “The baby is coming…”

Basil was in the middle of a bad dream when he felt Bask’s hand. He startled awake and frowned when he heard that Bask was in labor. He scrambled out of bed and went to wake Pearl. “It’s time mama.”

Pearl woke up and yawned. She stretched out and looked up at Bask. She smiled and got out of bed. “It’s going to be alright.” She went to get blankets and extra pillows. “Get comfortable Bask.” She was hoping this birth would be stress free. Of their four kids, Chili had been the only smooth delivery.

Bask settled into bed and laid on his side. He was hoping for a smooth delivery too.

Basil walked to Dill’s cradle and changed his diaper. He then set him up to nurse. “We have Sky and Habanero’s kids here. Should I take the kids over to his house?”

“Did you hear how loud they were last night? He’s going to be tired.” Pearl smirked. “Drop our kids off there too.”

“That sounds fair after they kept us up half the night.” Bask smiled softly. He was amused at Basil and Pearl’s idea.

“I’ll be back in a little bit.” Basil put little Dill in his hair, and then kissed Bask, and Pearl. He put his hand on Bask’s belly. “Wait for me to come back, alright little one?” He kissed Bask’s belly gently, and then headed for Chili’s bedroom. “Time to get up babies. Go potty for me.” He smiled as they all began waking up and complaining that they were tired. He walked out to the kitchen and helped Fairy out of her chair. He scooted her towards her room. “Go potty and get ready sweetheart. We are going to go see uncle Sky.”

Fairy squealed with joy and ran towards the bedroom. She was excited. She loved her uncle Sky.

Basil chuckled and went to get some water. He went to the bedroom and set it on the coffee table by the bed. He smiled and headed out of the bedroom. He gathered the six toddlers and headed out the door with them. “Follow me and keep close please.” He headed for Sky’s flower pod. Once he got there, he knocked on the door.

Sky woke up and groaned. “Basil…” He grumbled and got up. He was sore from hours of rough sex. He was annoyed. Basil wasn’t supposed to bring the kids back until the afternoon. He got his pants on and headed for the door. He opened it and sighed. “Basil, it’s too early.” He yawned tiredly. “It’s still dark out.”

“Daddy!” Pyro clung to Sky’s leg and squirmed happily.

Fairy clung to Sky’s other leg and hugged into him.

“Bask is in labor. Thanks for watching my kids for me.” Basil grabbed Dill out of his hair, gently gave him to Sky, and then bolted for the flower pod. He was hoping he would make it back in time.

“Darn it Basil!” Sky sighed and looked down at the seven young trollings. He smiled softly, seeing Dill was getting chubby. “Daddy has been taking very good care of you Dill.” He headed inside and sat down on the couch. He chuckled as the six toddlers snuggled into him. “I missed you too little ones.”

Basil came back into the flower pod and went to the bedroom. He sat down by Bask and took his hand. “How are you doing daddy?”

“He’s getting close.” Pearl had a blanket ready. She had a big smile on her face. So far Bask had no issues.

Bask took Basil’s hand and squeezed it. He gritted his teeth and breathed. “Oh god…” He had tears in his eyes.

“You’re doing a good job Bask. I love you so much.” Basil kissed him gently and ran his hand through Bask’s orange hair.

Pearl smiled up at Bask and Basil. “Almost there Bask. You’re doing so good.”

Bask cried out as he gave birth to a girl. He breathed and looked down as Pearl cleaned her up. She was turquoise with two toned capri blue hair and with an orange tip. She began letting out cries. “She’s so pretty.”

Basil heard the newborn cries and smiled. “She sounds healthy. I’m proud of you Bask.” He had been so worried that the famine would have caused the baby harm, but so far, she sounded alright.

“She’s a little small, but that’s not a surprise considering what we went through the first half of your pregnancy.” Pearl gently gave the baby to Bask and sat down beside him. “We need a name for her.”

“How about Rainbow? Since she is our first baby after a rough storm?” Basil had a huge grin on his face. He was a proud daddy.

“Rainbow is fitting for sure. Especially with her colors.” Bask smiled and helped Rainbow nurse. He breathed out a sigh of relief. He was exhausted.

“I love her name.” Pearl reached over and ran her hand through the baby's two toned hair. She was so glad everything came out smoothly.


	18. A Grieving Mother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Melody’s broken heart has bothered her since she lost her baby Storm, so much so it’s causing her problems.

A couple of weeks had gone by, and it was getting hot outside. Melody was over by the river. She had slowly regained weight after the famine, but her heart still ached. She missed her daughter. She had never regained her colors. She had a fishing pole. She cast out the line and waited for a nibble. She was deep in thought. She was thinking she might be ready to try for another baby, but she was scared at the same time. She wasn’t sure she could handle losing another baby. The thought brought tears to her eyes. 

“Are you alright?” A young light green troll with green eyes and yellow hair named Wind, came walking up to her and sat down. “You look upset.” He was twenty-one years old and extremely friendly.

“Just bad memories.” Melody wiped her face of tears and looked at Wind and sighed. “I’m fine really.” She sniffled and waited for a fish.

Wind got his own fishing pole ready and threw out a line. He watched the water and watched her line bob. When she didn’t reel, he reached over and took the pole. He began reeling it in. “You’re distracted.”

“I am not.” Melody grumbled and took the pole back. She finished getting her fish to shore and put it on ice.

Wind shrugged and grabbed his pole again. “If you say so.” He heard foot steps coming up from behind. He looked up and smiled. “How are you Winter?”

“I’m alright. Coming to check on my wife.” Winter sat down by Melody and kissed her. He pulled Snow out of his hair and showed her how to bait and cast the line. He gave her the pole and watched her. She had a look of deep concentration. He smiled, thinking she was very adorable.

Melody smiled at Winter. She leaned over and kissed his cheek. She cast a line out and smiled. She felt better having Winter next to her. She leaned into him and closed her eyes.

Wind smiled and began to reel his line. He put the fish in his ice chest and baited his hook. He smirked, seeing Snow’s line bend. “Oh! She’s got a big one!”

Winter was ready for it, and had a hold of Snow, and the fishing pole. “Get it Snow! Reel it in baby. You can do it!”

Snow grunted and began reeling in the line. The three-year-old was not big, but she was strong. She squeaked when the pole jerked, but her daddy had it, so she didn’t lose it. She pulled hard and squealed with excitement when she got it to shore. “I did it!”

Melody helped get the fish off the hook and held it beside Snow. She giggled, amused that the fish was almost as big as she was.

“What a catch!” Wind pulled out his camera from his hair. “Have her stand with it. That’s picture quality stuff right there.”

Winter stood up and had Snow stand next to him. He motioned Melody to join and laughed when she scrunched up her nose. “It’s her first fish sweetie.”

“Alright…” Melody stood by Winter and held the fish next to Snow for a size comparison.

Snow stuck out her tongue right before Wind took the picture. She giggled and hid behind her daddy.

“She’s adorable.” Wind smiled at them. “I got a good picture for you. I will bring it to your flower pod when I get it developed.”

“Thank you Wind.” Winter put the fish on ice and smiled. “Who is a good fisher? You are!” He turned and grabbed his little one. He laughed when she tried to squirm away. “Oh no! I caught me a big one. She’s getting away!”

Snow giggled and wriggled under his grasp. She squealed when he raspberried her belly. She was having fun.

Melody smiled softly and watched Winter play with Snow. She rubbed her right arm and sighed. “Winter? Do you think we could find a babysitter for Snow? I want to go home and cuddle…”

Wind blushed, realizing she was hinting towards going home to mate. He quietly walked back over to his fishing pole and went back to fishing.

“Now? Sure sweetheart. Who should we take her to this time?” Winter put Snow into his hair and began packing up their fishing gear. He smiled at Wind. “Thank you again Wind.”

“Your dad would probably be happy to see her.” Melody looked at Wind and then at Winter. “Winter? I really want a baby.” She knew if another male joined them, they would have three times the chances of conceiving and she liked Wind a lot.

Wind’s eyes went wide. He was wondering why she was being so vocal about this with him being right there. He cleared his throat and reeled his cast in. He packed up his things and got ready to leave.

“I know you do sweetheart.” Winter finished getting his things ready and smiled softly. “I’m happy to help you try.” He saw that Wind was uncomfortable. He blushed and glanced at his wife. “Let’s head home.” He turned to go.

“If we have a male in the family, we will have more chances.” Melody side glanced at Wind and smiled at Winter.

Wind flushed and scooped up his things. He headed home. He wasn’t so sure about getting involved with an already established family.

“I know it increases the chances.” Winter watched Wind flee. He smiled softly and chuckled. “I think you scared off Wind.”

Melody frowned and watched Wind run off. She sighed and picked up her pole. She headed home with it. “I think I did scare him off…” She sighed in frustration.

“He’s probably shy about that sort of thing. He doesn’t appear to have a family yet.” Winter smiled softly and walked with her towards their flower pod. “It’s going to be alright Melody. We will have our baby.”

“I rather we try with him than anyone else.” Melody sighed. “He’s good around Snow.” She got home and set her pole down. She took Snow out of his hair and kissed Winter. “I will be right back.” She headed for Biggie’s flower pod with little Snow.

Winter watched her go, and then went to gut the two fish. He cut it up and put the slices in the smoker. He sighed and looked at the door. He was worried that Melody was too stressed to conceive. It was frustrating. He didn’t think she was ready yet.

Melody got to Biggie’s flower pod and knocked on the door. She smiled when Emma answered it. “Can you guys watch Snow tonight please?”

“Of course, Melody.” Emma took Snow out of Melody’s arms. “Hello pretty girl.” Emma kissed Snow’s cheek, and then headed for the kitchen with her.

“Thank you, mom.” Melody smiled and headed for Wind’s flower pod. She got to his flower pod and knocked on the door.

Wind looked up from the photo he was developing. He smiled softly. “Just a minute.” He hung it to dry, and then walked over to the door and answered it. He widened his eyes when Melody grabbed his hand. “What are you doing?!” He saw her close his door, and gasped when she began dragging him towards her flower pod.

“I have incentives if you help us out Wind. Even if you don’t want to become mates with us, I will do anything you want. I really want a baby.” Melody was flushed. She got to the flower pod and opened the door. She let Wind go when they got inside. She cornered him and gave him a very adorable look. “Please?”

Winter looked over and flushed. “Melody…” He frowned and walked over to her. “I’m so sorry Wind.” He turned Melody around and had her look up. “I know your desperate sweetheart. Please relax…” He looked over at Wind. “You’re scaring our friend.”

Wind’s light green skin was darkened a maroon color. He looked between them and inched towards the door. “I’m…not sure. I don’t want to intrude on a relationship.” He was so confused. He didn’t know why she was so desperate to have a baby. She had never shared with him about her stillbirth.

Melody looked away and bit her bottom lip. “Please…” She teared up. “My heart hurts.” She glanced towards Wind. “You’re not intruding…”

“I miss her too sweetheart.” Winter pulled Melody in for a hug and held her. He closed his eyes and rubbed her back as she sobbed over his shoulder. “I’m very sorry Wind. It’s been really hard since she lost her baby during the earthquake.” He had been worried about her behavior. She had tried stealing Basil’s baby, Rocket’s baby, and even tried to take Penelope’s baby. She was very desperate. He feared she was going to mess with the wrong parents and get herself into a lot of trouble.

Wind felt his heart sink. He looked down. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“It was my fault…” Melody sobbed. “I fell on my belly and crushed her.” She was shaking.

“That was not your fault. The flower pod fell to the ground. Everyone in there got hurt that day sweetheart.” Winter teared up. He was worried about her. He held her and swallowed hard. He wanted to fix this so bad.

Wind frowned and looked up at them. “Oh my god, that sounds awful…” He moved closer and joined in the hug. “I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”

“Feels like it was my fault…” Melody sniffled and buried her face into Winter’s glittery white skin. She wanted this awful feeling of emptiness to go away.

“We will try for a baby sweetheart. It won’t replace Storm, but I’m hoping you feel better.” Winter held his wife and ran his hands through her two-toned hair. “You may go Wind. I’m sorry again for this.” He felt bad that Wind got involved. It was awkward.

Wind looked between them and smiled softly. “Actually, I’m willing to help you if you still want me to try.” He shuffled his feet. His heart ached for Melody. This couldn’t have been easy, and she clearly loved her little family.

“Thank you so much.” Melody moved to hug into Wind. Tears ran down her cheeks. “You have no idea how much this means to me.” She held him and sniffled.

Winter smiled softly and pulled them into a hug. He then led them into the bedroom. He had a feeling that it was going to be hard to get aroused. Especially with how tense Melody was. He really hoped this worked, because he was really worried, he was going to lose Melody. She was not bouncing back from her loss.


	19. Three For The Price Of One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> DJ Suki’s time comes, and her newborns give her much joy.

DJ Suki had made it to five and a half months along. She was very round in the midsection. She heaved out of bed and headed for the bathroom. The heavily pregnant mama had been making frequent trips to the bathroom, no thanks to her little ones pressing on her bladder. She was soon done in the bathroom. She made her way to the kitchen and grabbed a glass. She got some water and drank. She glanced towards Symphony and set her glass down. She signed to her that she wanted her to make dinner tonight.

Symphony sighed and signed that she was a horrible cook. She always burned the food.

DJ Suki signed to her that she would get the hang of it, and that she needed to practice. She winced and put her hand on her belly. She was having a contraction.

Symphony frowned and put her hand on her mom’s belly. She felt the contraction. She signed asking if she should go get Aquamarine.

DJ Suki nodded and looked over at Leaf. “I just had a contraction.”

Leaf looked up from helping Amber with her homework. She got up and headed for the bedroom. “You got this mama. I’m here for you.” She grabbed some blankets and began to hum.

Amber got up and walked over to DJ Suki. She put her hand on her belly. “We get to meet you soon.” She looked excited.

Symphony headed out the door and towards Aquamarine and Stream’s flower pod. 

“Yes, we do get to meet them soon.” DJ Suki headed for the bedroom. She sat at the edge of the bed and breathed through the next contraction. Once it was over, she got undressed. She laid down on her side and hugged into a pillow. She knew sometimes labor took hours. She closed her eyes and tried to take a nap. She knew it probably wasn’t going to happen.

Leaf helped DJ Suki get comfortable. She then crawled into bed and spooned her. She was nervous and excited. They had been looking forward to this for months.

Amber went back to her homework. She still had a lot to get done.

Symphony came back in with Stream and Aquamarine. She led them to the bedroom and sat down on the edge of the bed.

Aquamarine came around the corner and smiled softly. He walked over and took her hand. “You wanted us to be here?”

Stream stood by the wall and watched DJ Suki and the little babies’ spirits. Everything seemed alright so far.

DJ Suki nodded and smiled softly. “Of course. You helped make them. You get to at least be here for their births.” She cringed and squeezed his hand.

Leaf hummed softly. She knew labor hurt. She hoped this would go smoothly for her.

“I’ll go make some cookies. I know how this can sometimes take some time. Holler if you need me to come back in.” Aquamarine smiled and headed for the kitchen. He began getting ingredients ready. He mixed it up and got it in the cookie sheet. Once it was in the oven, he checked his watch, and then went to go check on DJ Suki. He peeked in and watched her breathe. He was nervous for her.

DJ Suki watched Aquamarine retreat. She wasn’t surprised that he wanted to go make cookies. He had been spoiling her with lots of cookies during her pregnancy. She smiled to herself. Cookie ironically hated cookies. She had a feeling her frisky daughter was going to give Aquamarine a hard time when she came home.

Cookie came in and scrunched up her nose when she smelled the sweet scent of cookies. “Oh my god, what is in the oven?” She walked over to the kitchen and widened her eyes. “Who is making cookies?! So gross!” She shot a glare towards Aquamarine. “You…” She walked over to him and crossed her arms. “You’re feeding my mom cookies again. That concept is just way weird you know?”

“What do you mean?” Aquamarine looked confused. Cookie was a very strange teenager.

“Well, my name is Cookie, and if I eat cookies, it’s like I’m being a cannibal.” She shook her head. “So, you’re pretty much feeding parts of me to my mama.”

DJ Suki heard that from the bedroom. She held her belly and laughed, even though she was in the middle of a contraction. “Cookie, he is not feeding you to me. Silly girl…”

Aquamarine chuckled and pat her on the shoulder. “You don’t have to eat them.” He headed to the oven and took the cookies out. He set them down to cool and turned off the stove.

Cookie huffed and peeked into her mamas’ room. She saw that DJ Suki was breathing hard. “Are you alright mom?”

“The triplets are coming.” DJ Suki squeezed Leaf’s hand and gritted her teeth. “You can watch if you want sweetheart.”

Symphony shifted and looked at Cookie. She sighed and signed that she left her at home again, when she wanted to go out with her. She looked frustrated. She sneered when Cookie stuck her tongue out at her. She looked at her mom and signed that she wanted baby brothers. Sisters were a pain. She got along a lot better with Rush.

Rush came into the flower pod and walked over to the cookies. He snatched one and looked around for Cookie. He found her in the bedroom and stood in front of her. He began eating the cookie in front of her.

Cookie’s eyes went wide. “Oh my god! Rush is eating me!” She fell to the floor and acted like she was dying.

Stream cracked up laughing. “Oh god, your kids are hilarious.”

Leaf chuckled. “They can be a pain too.” She looked over at Rush and grinned. “Bring me one of those cookies. They smell good.”

DJ Suki laughed a little, and then let out a cry of pain. “Oh god…” She breathed and closed her eyes tightly. “It hurts…”

Symphony watched her siblings and rolled her eyes. She shook her head and looked over at her mama. She was worried about her.

Aquamarine moved closer and saw that DJ Suki was getting close. “Before we all eat the cookies, we have babies to deliver. She’s close.” He grabbed a blanket and got ready to catch the first of the triplets.

DJ Suki shifted slightly and cried out as the first of her babies was born. She watched Aquamarine clean the baby girl. She was a glitter raspberry colored trolling with light blue curly hair. She looked over at Symphony and smiled softly. “Sorry sweetie, it’s a girl.” She groaned and closed her eyes. She breathed and waited for the next contraction. She sighed in relief when she heard her daughter let out cries. "Good girl..."

Symphony nodded and smiled. She signed that the baby was cute.

Cookie and Rush looked over and watched Aquamarine clean the baby. They were suddenly more interested in the birth, then goofing off.

Aquamarine gently gave the baby to Leaf and smiled. “She’s adorable.” He saw the second baby coming. He caught him and began cleaning him. This one was a glitter light blue like him, with orange hair. He pat his back a few times, until he began to cry. He looked at Symphony and chuckled. “Symphony got her boy.” He got him clean and gave him to Symphony to hold.

DJ Suki breathed and looked over at her son. She looked relieved that he appeared to be healthy. She cringed and gritted her teeth as she delivered the last of her triplets. This one was small, purple, and had curly orange hair. She began to cry as Aquamarine cleaned her up.

“Two girls, and a little boy. You did a good job DJ.” Aquamarine gave the baby to DJ Suki and walked over to Stream. He stood by him and kissed him. “Thank you for letting us be a part of it.”

“Thank you for delivering them so I could comfort her.” Leaf smiled and watched the three babies in awe. “We need names for them.”

“We do need names. How about Ruby for the first girl, Turquoise for the boy, and Lily for the second girl?” DJ Suki held her daughter close and checked her over. She was a little worried that she was smaller then her siblings, but she appeared to be healthy.

“They sound like great names.” Leaf kissed her and pressed her forehead against DJ Suki’s forehead. “I’m so proud of you.” She hoped that they all had a happy and healthy future ahead of them.


	20. A Protective Sister

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wind’s little sister finds out about what he had done with Melody and Winter.

A month later, Wind was doing his normal after lunch routine, when he felt a wash of nausea. He bolted for the bathroom and began to lose his lunch into the toilet.

His little sister, Hazel, whom was a teal colored seventeen-year-old trolling, with green hair and green eyes, could hear that her brother was getting sick. Alarmed, she put her book down and hurried for the bathroom. “Uh oh, sounds like you caught a nasty bug. Thank goodness that we have healers now. You can go get healed…”

Wind finished getting sick. He groaned and held his stomach. He smiled softly and shook his head. “I think it’s morning sickness.” He had had several rounds with Winter to assure a baby would result. It appeared they had been successful. He had told them he had to stay home though. He didn’t tell them why.

“Morning sickness?” Hazel frowned and looked him up and down. “Who mated with you?!” She looked completely shocked. Wind had never talked about finding a mate, let along getting married, and having children. She was very confused.

Wind sighed and led her to the couch. He began explaining to her what had happened with Melody and Winter. He had his hand on his belly. He had plans of getting checked. He had a feeling Melody was going to be thrilled.

The more Hazel heard, the angrier she became. She clenched her fists when he was done. “You got guilt tripped into having a baby?! That’s not right.” She headed towards the door. She was livid.

“Calm down Hazel.” Wind followed her. He looked worried. “You know what could happen when you get worked up.” He didn’t like that she went outside. He looked around nervously. He was very protective of Hazel. “I gave permission. I volunteered to help them…”

Hazel looked around. She had never met them, but she knew what they looked like. She had watched the whole village from the flower pod. She rarely left her brother’s flower pod. She spotted Winter over by the river. She headed that way and sneered when she saw Melody with him. She got up to them and glared at Melody. “You guilt tripped my brother into mating so he could have a baby for you?!”

Melody scrambled to her feet and looked between Hazel and Winter. She looked confused. “What?!”

Winter reeled his line in and stood up. He gave Wind a questioning look. He didn’t even know he had a sister. “Who are you?!”

Wind caught up and smiled softly. “Winter, Melody, this is my sister Hazel.” He smiled softly. “I think I’m pregnant. I told her what happened, and she’s mad…” He grabbed Hazel’s hand. “Let’s go home sis. It’s going to be alright.”

Hazel pulled her hand out of Wind’s hand and crossed her arms. “You both better help my brother! He wasn’t planning on having kids! You have no idea what you have just done!” She stepped away from them and frowned. She didn’t feel right.

Melody looked at Wind and then his belly. She bit her bottom lip. She was hoping he was pregnant but was now worried. Hazel looked pissed. Why she was so angry confused her a lot. Although, she did guilt trip Wind, so she could understand why she was upset. “He did give permission, and I did tell him we owe him big time. We offered to even let him move in, but he refused.”

Winter smiled softly. “I’m sorry Hazel. I didn’t mean to upset anyone. He did volunteer. It wasn’t like we forced him to mate. We do plan to be supportive if Wind is pregnant.” He put his hand on his own belly. He had a feeling he was pregnant himself. He hoped this wasn’t going to make things more complicated.

“Come on Hazel. Let’s go home. We can talk there.” Wind smiled softly. “It’s going to be alright.” He took her hand.

“Of course, he refused to move in. He’s worried about…” Hazel leaned into Wind and grunted. She began having a seizure.

Wind helped his sister onto her back and supported her head. He looked up at Winter and Melody. He looked scared. He knew these trolls were different then Rusty, but he was worried they might do something harmful to Hazel anyways. “Please don’t hurt her…”

Melody put her hands over her mouth when she saw the seizure start. She looked at Wind and frowned. She wasn’t sure what to do.

“Is she alright?” Winter wasn’t sure what to do either. He had never seen a seizure before.

Hazel didn’t seize long. She was soon calm, but disoriented. She groaned and put her hand on her head. “Wha?”

“It’s alright Hazel. You had a seizure. I’ve got you.” Wind sat down and pulled her into his lap. He ran his hand through her green hair and hummed softly.

“That was scary.” Melody knelt to check on Hazel. She appeared to be alright, despite the scary event.

“Has that happened before?” Winter looked concerned.

“Yes, she has at least one a day. We try to manage it with calming herbs. It is better then when she was a kid.” Wind teared up. “She isn’t supposed to leave the flower pod. Rusty would have certainly killed her…”

“She has had this all her life?” Melody frowned and sat down by Wind.

“Don’t worry Wind, she is safe.” Winter sat down on Wind’s other side and put his hand on Hazel’s cheek. “You’re safe Hazel.” 

Hazel snuggled into her brother and closed her eyes. Her head hurt, but she was used to this. She was going to be fine in a few minutes.

“Yes, she has had them all her life.” Wind held Hazel and sighed softly. “This is why I can’t move in with you two. I promised my parents that if anything happened to them, I would take care of her for the rest of her life. I plan to keep my promise.”

Melody scooted closer and took Wind’s hand. “Why didn’t you tell us? We would have let her move in too, right Winter?”

Winter nodded. “She’s family. No troll left behind.” He smiled at Wind.

“I wasn’t sure if it would work. The seizures happen unexpectedly most of the time, and she needs regular care to assure she doesn’t hurt herself. I wasn’t sure if you two would want to live with that. I was scared. After Rusty, no one talked about health problems, and my parents kept her hidden. She has been home schooled. Rusty knew she existed but had no idea why she was kept hidden. My father made sure of that, and I did after he died two years ago.” Wind helped Hazel back onto her feet. “Let’s go home Hazel. You need your medicine.” He got up and walked with Hazel towards his flower pod.

Hazel headed for the flower pod. She was tired, but fine now. She glanced back at Melody and Winter as she headed home. She was still mad at them, but she was no longer up to telling them off.

Melody watched them go, and then turned to Winter. “They should move into our flower pod. Taking care of her while pregnant is going to be hard for him.”

“I agree. Let’s go home and get the flower pod set up for it. I have a feeling Wind is not going to be easily persuaded. He appears to be very protective of her.”

“I don’t blame him one bit. That whole thing was scary.” Melody headed home. She felt guilty now. She was starting to wonder if she had made a mistake. She didn’t mean to make things harder for Wind.


	21. Busy Bee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bee has a busy day ahead of her.

It had been a few days later and Bee was getting ready for the day. She pulled her bright pink hair into a ponytail and filled her backpack with supplies. She put it on her back and headed out the door. She was on her way to Melody and Winter’s flower pod. She had been asked to do a pregnancy check. When she got to their flower pod, she knocked on the door.

Melody answered the door and smiled. “Thank you for coming over Bee. I was wondering if you could check Winter and I and tell us if we’re pregnant?” She had just gotten back home from dropping Snow off at Branch’s flower pod to visit her grandparents.

“Yes, of course.” Bee put her hand on Melody’s belly and shook her head. “No Melody, you’re not pregnant.” She walked over to Winter and put her hand on his belly. She looked up and smiled. “Winter is pregnant though. Congratulations.”

Winter looked up from his breakfast and smiled. “That’s good news. I was wondering if you would come with me to Wind’s flower pod Bee? He needs a pregnancy check too, and there is something I need to talk to you about over there.” He knew Bee was not as experienced as Honey, since she was nineteen, but he knew she as an avid reader, and probably read about seizures. He was hoping she would have an idea of how to help young Hazel.

Melody looked very disappointed when she found out she was not pregnant. She sighed in relief that Winter was though. She was going to have a baby through him. It made her feel a little better, but she did feel jealous.

“I thought Wind was this village’s photographer? When did he have time to mate, and with who?” Bee looked confused. Wind was either fishing, taking pictures for villagers, or at home developing his pictures. She had no idea he spent a good portion of that time developing his pictures, taking care of his sister. She didn’t even know Hazel existed. Almost all of Poppy’s colony didn’t even know she existed. Wind kept her well-hidden.

“He volunteered to help us conceive a baby.” Winter smiled softly. “He’s moving here today. If you know of anyone who has spare time today, it would be great to get some help.”

“I can help out.” Bee smiled softly. She headed out of their flower pod and walked towards Wind’s flower pod. She was still confused but wasn’t surprised that Melody had become desperate to have a baby. She had seen her get in trouble several times because of wanting to steal babies. She hoped this would break her of that. When she got to the flower pod, she knocked on the door. Winter and Melody had followed her.

There was a scramble on the other side of the door. Wind answered the door and frowned. “Oh god, she’s having a bad day.” He had tears in his eyes. He hurried over to Hazel and rearranged the pillows and blankets. Stress hadn’t helped her condition. She didn’t want to move. She was terrified.

Winter hurried over and got on his knees. He noticed she had blood on her lips. “She’s bleeding.”

Melody frowned and watched on with wide eyes.

Bee hurried over and began healing her. “Who is this?” She was very confused.

Wind hesitated, and then began to explain to Bee who Hazel was, and why she was on the floor. He knew she was a healer and was hoping she could help Hazel.

Hazel began to come to. She breathed hard and looked up at Bee. She looked scared. She closed her eyes and began to cry. She could feel that she was wet. She had soiled herself.

Winter sat down and put his hand on Hazel’s cheek. “It’s alright. We got this. You’re safe.” He took a tissue out of his hair and dried her face.

“There, we got you all healed. My name is Bee. It’s alright Hazel. I’ve got some herbs in my backpack. I’m going to make you a tea for you to drink to help you. I’m going to do some research and see if we can find something to help your seizures calm down. My mom told me some trolls can live almost normal lives with the right medicine.” Bee got up and went through her backpack. She pulled out a cocktail of herbs, including chamomile, ginseng, gingko, and valerian root. She brewed the tea, and then walked over and sat with Hazel. She helped her drink it. “Melody, can you please go run a bath for me?” She smiled softly at Hazel. “This may give you some energy. I threw in some ginseng, to help counteract with the three calming herbs. Don’t be alarmed if you feel a little boost of energy.”

Melody nodded and went to go run a bath. She grabbed some clean clothes and towels. She was worried about her.

Wind watched on, grateful that they were helpful. He held Hazel and sniffled. He was worried about her. She didn’t normally have them as bad as she had all morning.

Hazel drank the tea, and then leaned into Bee. She looked up at the light-yellow female. “Thank you…” She closed her eyes and sighed tiredly.

“You’re welcome Hazel.” Bee held her and smiled. She already planned to spend the rest of the day helping with Hazel so that Wind, Winter, and Melody could get them moved. Once the bath was set up, she helped Hazel to her feet and walked to the bathroom. She closed the door and helped her out of her wet clothes. She made sure she got settled into the water alright and helped her with her bath. She could tell that Hazel was exhausted.

With Hazel in good hands, Winter, Wind, and Melody began moving Wind and Hazel’s things towards Winter and Melody’s flower pod. All three were worried about Hazel.

Hazel watched Bee wash her and blushed. It had been years since she needed help with a bath. She was able to get most of her body but was really tired. Once she was done, she got out and smiled softly when Bee helped her get dry and dressed. “You’re so sweet…” She was extremely grateful. She didn’t have many friends. Just her brother, Bubbles, and Cloud.

“You’re welcome.” Bee helped her get dressed and helped her towards the front door. “Let’s go talk to my mom. I want to see if she has an idea of how to help you, and if not, we can sit down with some books and try to figure this out together.”

Hazel looked nervous but nodded. “I won’t get hurt, right?” She took Bee’s hand as they got outside. She looked around for Wind. This was the first time she had left the flower pod without him or one of her parents.

“You’re safe. Try not to stress out. It’s not good for you. I read that seizures get worse with stress. I’m sure you’re no different.” Bee led her towards Honey’s flower pod. Once there, she knocked on the door.

Honey answered the door and smiled. “Well, I knew you liked girls, but I haven’t met this one.” She giggled when Bee shot a glare at her.

Hazel blushed and glanced at Bee. She wasn’t sure what to do about that.

“Mom, I just met her. I’m actually here to ask if you knew what is good to help control seizures. She needs medicine. She has them daily.” Bee walked inside and had Hazel sit down on the couch. She began to explain to Honey what she knew.

“I know some books that may help. I haven’t experienced a troll living with seizures, but I have seen them. Calming herbs do help, but there are other medicines we can have her try to reduce the chances.” Honey walked over to her book shelf and grabbed a few books. She handed one to Hazel, one to Bee, and then sat down with her own book. “It might take weeks, or months to figure out what works best, but if we can get the right medicine and/or herbs in your system, you should be able to live a fairly normal life.”

“A normal life?” Hazel widened her eyes. She had spent her whole life thinking she was going to be disabled and dependent. She liked the idea of being able to live a normal life. Even if she went a few days without a seizure, she would be grateful. She began to read. She was hoping she would be able do more then sew and cook. She wanted to be able to be outside and do other activities without fear of getting hurt. Although going outside was a scary thought at the same time. She was worried someone would be mean to her.

“I sure hope so. Knowing my mom, she will find the right medicine for you.” Bee smiled and began to read. She already planned on helping Hazel out as much as possible. She already liked this girl, and she didn’t want her to suffer anymore.


	22. Royal Bliss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robin makes friends with an Angel.

It had been different living life without Rusty, but Robin was adjusting just fine. He missed his dad, but knew life was going to be better without him. The young king was on his way to talk to Poppy. They had arranged for him to keep in charge until Maximus was old enough to take over the throne. Considering Maximus was three years old, he was perfectly alright with this. Alexandrite had happily let his position go. The teenager had been nervous about taking over. Especially considering he hadn’t been the same since almost dying in the fire. He did approve to be an advisor; which Robin was completely alright with. He got to Poppy’s home and knocked on the door.

Poppy answered the door and smiled at Robin. “Sorry, I’m retired now. Please leave a message after the beep.” She paused for a moment. “Beep.”

Robin chuckled and smiled at her. “Hi, it’s Robin. I just wanted to let Poppy know that the raspberries are ripe. If she wants some, she better high tail it over there. Hope you have a good day.” He smiled and headed for the raspberry bush. He had been telling everyone who he knew loved raspberries that they were ready, including his brother Branch. He knew his brother loved the berries. He chuckled, hearing Poppy behind him. She had grabbed a basket and bolted towards the bush. She had plans with those berries. Once at the bush, Robin grabbed some, and filled a bag he had brought with him. He planned to make wine with them. Once his bag was full, he sat down under a tree and began to eat a fresh one. 

Angel had heard about the raspberries. She arrived at the bush and grabbed one. She spotted Robin and walked over to him. She sat down next to him. “So, how is life as the king of both colonies?”

“It’s a lot to keep up with, but Poppy and Guy Diamond are helping me out. I’m going to have Alexandrite’s help too. He told me he wasn’t sure he could handle being regent, until Maximus was old enough.” Robin took a bite of his raspberry.

“Yeah, I heard Alexandrite almost died in the fire. He’s got scars from those burns.” Angel took a bite out of her raspberry.

“Burns are painful. That had to have been awful.” Robin frowned and sighed. “I have a huge colony to get ready for winter now. I was going to give everyone a job. We all need to work together in order to make it this winter. I don’t want anyone to go hungry like your colony had to last winter. It’s a miracle that any of you had survived it.”

“Yeah, we owe Keith, Flick, Cumin, and Nutmeg for that move. If they hadn’t found this village, we very well may have perished. I told Poppy we were going to have to go. She really didn’t want to let that lake go.” Angel finished her raspberry and got up. “What are you making with that huge bag of raspberries?”

“Wine.” Robin got up and finished his last bite. “It takes a few months, but it should be ready for midwinter feast. I plan to make enough to get the whole village drunk.”

“That will be an amusing sight. Especially since that’s Branch’s birthday. He’s very funny when he is drunk, but be warned, he can be loud.” Angel giggled.

“I did not need to know that.” Robin smiled at her. “It was nice talking to you Angel. I’ve got a lot to do today, but if you ever want to swing by, don’t be shy.” He grabbed his bag and headed for his flower pod.

Angel watched him go and admired his butt as he retreated. She had major plans of visiting him later. She wanted a piece of that. She wondered if she would be that lucky to get her hands on the royal buttocks. She thought of an idea and went towards her flower pod. She went inside and pulled out a piece of paper. She began writing a letter to Robin. 

“Robin-

The moment I laid eyes on you this past late winter, I knew right away that you were special. You saved our entire village from so much pain and loss. Thank you is not the right words. I want to show you just how special I think you truly are. I want to get to know you more. I want to hold you in my arms and fell the warmth of your lips against mine. I want to be by your side and help you through this difficult first winter with a large colony. If you accept, I promise to be there for you through the hard times, and the good times. I will try my hardest to make you happy and give you the best experience you have ever had.

-Angel”

Angel looked the letter over and smiled. It was not as dirty as she wanted to make it, but it was a start. She folded it, and then walked over to Robin’s flower pod. She slipped it into his mailbox, and then walked away. She had a bad feeling she was going to be rejected. She went to bed, knowing that sleep tonight was not going to be restful. She woke up the next morning to a knock on the door. She got up and walked over to the door. She was only in a robe when she answered the door.

Robin had a huge grin on his face. He walked inside and closed the door. He looked her up and down, and then pulled her in for a kiss. He liked it and kept the lip lock. “Mm…” He soon let her lip lock go and smiled. “I’m willing to give us a try Angel. I’ve seen you help around the village, and I think you would make a great queen. Please keep in mind though, that our royal line will end with me. Maximus is my great nephew, and the rightful owner of the kingdom, considering he is my brother’s oldest grandson, and he came from Branch’s oldest son, making him the rightful heir to my throne, and he also came from Poppy’s daughter, who was the rightful heir to her throne. He is destined to be the king for our kingdoms. I’m only sticking around as regent, since I was already established here. Are you alright with that?”

Angel had a look of bliss. She nodded, accepting his condition that they would not be continuing the royal line through them. She understood. She pulled his pants down and admired his length. It was as large as she hoped. She looked up at him and bit her bottom lip. “Oh sweetheart, you’re huge…” She pulled him in and began kissing him again.

Robin chuckled and pulled his pants back up. “Mmhmm, but not yet. I would love to jump to this, but I’m not going to be that easy. Date first, mate later.”

“I understand.” Angel smiled at him and played with his hair. She couldn’t wait to spend a lifetime with him. He was everything she had dreamed him to be.


	23. A Lost Seashell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bubbles has a rough morning.

Bubbles’ morning wasn’t going really well. She woke up feeling nauseous. She scrambled to put her seashell in her ear, and then bolted for the bathroom. She barely made it to the toilet, before she began getting sick. She didn’t notice that her seashell fell out of her ear when she was getting sick. When she was done, she flushed the toilet and went to wash her hands. She headed for the kitchen and went to adjust her seashell, noticing everything was muffled. She frowned, noticing it wasn’t there. She back tracked and began looking for it. She frowned, not finding it in the bathroom or the bedroom. She had accidentally flushed it. She flushed, realizing she had lost it. She began turning the bedroom and bathroom over, trying to find it.

Sky could hear her scrambling around. He frowned, noticing she was frantic. He stopped her and had her look up. “Are you alright?”

Bubbles startled when he grabbed her. She looked up at him and frowned. “I lost my seashell. Everything is muffled and harder to hear without it.” She teared up and sniffled. She buried her face into his shirt. “I don’t feel good…”

Sky smiled softly. “I was very nauseous during both my pregnancies too. It’s going to be alright.” He looked down at her belly and smiled, noticing two little spirits. He looked up at her and smiled. “Let’s see if we can’t find you a seashell.” He took her hand and headed for his own collection of seashells. She had already looked all over. He had a feeling it was gone. He grabbed a box out of his dresser and put it on the bed. He emptied it of tiny fresh water seashells. He spread them out on the bed and looked for one that was like the one she stuck in her ear. He found one like what she used. He sat down, pulled out his knife, and began carving the end so it had a hole, and then smoothed out the edges. Once it was close to the same shape, he walked to the bathroom and began cleaning it. He didn’t want her to get an ear infection.

Bubbles was grateful she could read lips but had flushed when he mentioned pregnancy. She looked nervous. She followed him around as he worked on a seashell. It was a white shell with a light pink hue. It was going to be hidden well with her very light pink skin tones. She had a feeling he did that on purpose.

Once Sky was all done, he tucked it into Bubbles’ ear and smiled at her. “Is that better mama?”

Bubbles nodded and hugged into him. “Thank you, Sky.” She snuggled into him and smiled softly. “So, I’m pregnant?”

“Mmhmm…” Sky kissed her and held her. “With twins.”

Bubbles’ eyes went wide. She gave him a look of disbelief. “Two at same time?! Oh my god…”

“My first pregnancy resulted in twins. It’s going to be alright.” Sky grinned and ran his hand through her red hair.

“Twins? Wow we are going to be busy. Sky and I are pregnant too, but we are each having one. Four kids…” Habanero had overheard. He came in and began to run a bath for the kids. He was nervous about his pregnancy. He already planned on talking to Honey about having a planned surgery to have his baby. His first birth had been very scary, even though he had been sixteen and still growing when he had Dash. “We are going to have seven kids under the age of four.”

“That’s a lot of kids.” Bubbles frowned and buried her face into Sky. “I feel so sick…”

“You know, it would have been eight…” Sky frowned and teared. He led Bubbles to the kitchen and set her up with medicine. “It’s going to be alright mama.”

“Yeah…” Habanero frowned and helped Dash, Pyro, and Jasmine into the bathtub. He helped them get clean.

“Eight?” Bubbles didn’t know about Sky’s miscarriage.

“Yeah, I lost a baby right before we came here.” Sky gave her the medicine, and then sat down and began to cry. He was nervous about this baby. He didn’t want to lose anymore.

“I’m so sorry.” Bubbles took her medicine, and then snuggled into him. She had no idea. She was slowly learning that Sky and Habanero had had it tough before she came into their lives. She was glad she could make their lives better. They kept telling her that she was a blessing in their lives.

“It was not meant to be. I had been crushed by a couch, and the baby didn’t seem to handle that well, and I was giving my food to the kids. I didn’t want them to die…” Sky sniffled and held Bubbles. He snuggled with her. She was a total sweetheart behind closed doors. He had zero regrets about letting her join their family.

“That sounds awful.” Bubbles rested her head on his shoulder. She had come to really enjoy their family.

Tulip came crashing in. She closed the door and went to hide. She was hiding from her sister Ambrosia. She crawled under the table.

Ambrosia had seen Tulip come into Sky’s home. She opened the door and smiled at her older brother. “Hi Sky.” She looked around for Tulip. “Where did Tulip go?” She was flushed and looked mad.

Sky shrugged and smiled. He had no idea what was going on, but he was willing to play along.

Bubbles giggled and watched Ambrosia look around. “What did she do sweetheart?”

“She ate my cookie.” Ambrosia grumbled. She couldn’t find Tulip. She plopped down at the couch and snuggled into Sky. “She keeps stealing my food.”

“I’m sorry sweetie. I have muffins. You’re welcome to have some.” Sky shot a glare towards Tulip. He wasn’t surprised but planned on talking to her. She was one of many kids who had become possessive over food after the famine.

Ambrosia sighed. “I’ll just go get another cookie. That was mean…” She hugged Sky, and then headed out the door. She was not amused.

Once Ambrosia was gone, Tulip came out from under the table. She walked to the kitchen and began raiding it for food.

“Tulip…” Sky walked into the kitchen and crossed his arms. “What was that for? It’s not nice to steal food…”

“I was hungry.” Tulip grabbed a muffin and began to eat it. She gasped when Sky grabbed it from her. “Hey!”

“It doesn’t feel good having food grabbed out of your hand, does it?” Sky raised a brow when she snatched it back and whacked him with her hair. “Oh my god child, you’re feisty.” He chuckled when she ran off. “I’m going to get you back for that!”

Bubbles had watched the exchange and smiled softly. “She’s a spitfire. After hearing how starved you all got, I don’t really blame her.” She loved watching him interact with the kids. She knew he was going to be a good daddy for her babies. She had zero regrets.


	24. A Musical Discord

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mother’s broken heart gives her family a huge scare.

It had been a month since Wind and Hazel had moved into the flower pod with Winter and Melody. It was the early morning of Hazel’s eighteenth birthday. She was snuggled in bed with Bee. She had had her spend the night. The two had hit it off well.

Hazel was doing much better with a good medication regime. She had been seizure free for three days, which was longer than she had ever gone. She woke up and rolled over to Bee. She snuggled into her and smiled.

“Good morning.” Bee smiled and held her. She giggled, feeling Hazel run her hand along her chest. “Well…” She squeaked when Hazel ran her hand down her belly. “You’re not subtle.” She gasped, feeling the light touch of Hazel’s fingers along her inner thigh. “You couldn’t wait any longer, could you?” She giggled and kissed Hazel. She had told her that she had to wait for her eighteenth birthday to go further than kissing. She didn’t want to face the wrath of her sister, or the wrath of a Wind.

Hazel shook her head and giggled as she kissed Bee. She pulled Bee’s nightgown off and grabbed her panties. She slowly slid them down. “Mine, you’re all mine.”

Bee giggled and helped Hazel out of her own nightgown and panties. She kissed Hazel hungrily, and then kissed along her neck and ear. She grinned and kissed her way down Hazel’s neck and chest. She stopped at her belly and looked up at her. “Are you sure you’re up to this?” She didn’t want anything to happen to Hazel. Hazel was still vulnerable, and she was protective.

“Please…” Hazel shivered, feeling a warm wetness between her legs. She had never felt so much pleasure in her whole life, and they were just getting started. She pulled Bee over to her and began kissing her again. She didn’t want to let the lip lock go.

“Mm…” Bee returned the kiss and exchanged salvia with her. She reached down and rubbed her inner thigh. She could feel that Hazel was wet. She moved her fingers to Hazel’s vulva and began to message it gently.

Hazel moaned and spread her legs. She liked that a lot. She gasped, feeling Bee play with her sensitive clitoris. She arched her back and made happy noises.

Bee grinned and put gentle pressure on Hazel’s clitoris. She moved her finger in a circular motion. She grinned, seeing that Hazel was getting really wet.

“You’re spoiling me.” Hazel shivered in delight. She reached down and tested Bee’s inner thigh. She could feel she was wet too. She messaged Bee’s vuvla gently and breathed in sharply when she felt a release. “Oh Bee…”

Bee reached down and began cleaning up Hazel’s wet snatch with her tongue. She was really enjoying this. She stuck her finger into Hazel’s virginal opening and began fingering her gently.

Hazel gasped and let out a loud moan. She was very pleased.

Wind woke, hearing loud moans coming from his sister’s room. He groaned and put his pillow over his head. He really didn’t want to hear that. He had a feeling he knew what she was doing in there. He glanced over at Winter, and frowned noticing that Melody was not in bed. He sat up. “Where did she go?”

Melody had woken up to the sounds of a newborn crying. She had gotten dressed and was headed towards a flower pod. She peeked in, seeing a couple tending to a newborn baby. It was a couple from this village. Their names were Flower and Red. Flower was a twenty-year-old yellow troll with white hair and orange eyes, and Red was a twenty-two-year-old red glitter troll with red hair and scarlet eyes. Their newborn daughter was orange glitter with white hair. 

Flower placed her daughter into her cradle. She had just had her and had just finished feeding her. She was tired. She snuggled into bed with Red and yawned. She hadn’t slept all night and was exhausted. It didn’t take long for her to fall asleep.

Red was tired too, being he had been up all night supporting her through her labor. He held his wife and hummed for a little while, until he dozed off as well.

Melody leaned on their front door and bit her bottom lip. She had gotten a glance at the tiny newborn. She was so beautiful. Tears ran down her cheeks. She put her hand on her belly. She still hadn’t gotten pregnant, despite more attempts. She glanced around, and then slowly opened the door. She quietly moved to the cradle and looked down at the newborn. She reached down and picked her up. She admired her. She had the opposite colors that Storm had, but that didn’t matter to her. She held her close and headed for the front door. She shut the door and headed for her flower pod with the newborn.

Red startled awake, hearing his front door close. He got up and walked over to his daughter’s cradle. He widened his eyes, finding it empty. He hurried outside and sneered, seeing Melody retreat away from their flower pod. He grabbed his knife and hurried after her. He was livid.

Flower had woken up when Red left the bed. She frowned when he hurried away after checking the cradle. Concerned, she went to go look inside it. She screamed in horror, realizing that her daughter was gone.

Melody gasped, hearing Red coming up behind her. She got into her flower pod and closed the door. She locked it. She backed away and gasped, when Red kicked the door down. She backed away and frowned. “Please…” She startled when Red grabbed his daughter back. 

Red quickly secured his daughter in his hair, and then pinned Melody down. “You stole my baby!” He began stabbing her angrily.

The commotion had the attention of everyone in that flower pod. Wind came out first and gasped. “Red! No!” He grabbed his arm and removed the knife from his hand. He yelped when Red punched him in the jaw. He backed away and threw the knife away. He was shaking, seeing that Melody was bleeding profusely.

Winter had also scrambled out of bed. He let out a sob and ran to Melody’s side. “Bee! Help!”

Bee had scrambled out of the bed and quickly got a dress on. She hurried out of the bedroom and ran over to Melody. She began healing her. “Oh my god!”

Melody gasped for air and struggled to breathe. She coughed up blood and looked up at her mates as Bee healed her. She whispered that she missed her baby, before passing out from blood loss.

Red backed away and frowned. “What the hell is going on Wind?! She stole my baby! Damn it! She scared me! Muffin was just born!” He was shaking. His little girl was crying in his hair. He was worried that she had been injured.

Hazel had gotten dressed and peeked into the living space. She frowned, seeing an uncomfortable amount of blood on the ground. “Oh no…”

“Let’s go back to your flower pod. I will explain on the way.” Wind looked worried as he escorted Red towards the door. He looked back at Melody, one more time before leaving. He had a bad feeling she wasn’t going to survive, and he didn’t blame Red one bit.

Winter sobbed over Melody and held her. He was petrified that he might lose her.

“She needs a blood transfusion immediately.” Bee got her healed, and then got up and picked her up. She hurried towards the medical pod with her. She hollered that she needed blood immediately. She was hoping volunteers would show up. Melody was very pale. Once at the medical pod, she set her down and began grabbing supplies to help with a blood transfusion.

Hazel walked over to Winter and hugged him tightly. She was worried about him and Melody. She didn’t want Melody to die. “Let’s go make sure she’s taken care of.” She helped him to his feet and walked with him towards the flower pod.

It was a few hours later, before Melody began waking up again. She had been given a blood transfusion. She groaned and held her head. She frowned, seeing her mother. DJ Suki looked angry. Several of her close family members were at her bedside. She had given them all a huge scare.

“After you have a chance to rest and recover, we are all having a talk with you Melody. This was the last straw.” DJ Suki had her arms crossed. She sat down in a seat next to the medical bed. 

Melody frowned and teared up. She nodded slowly and grasped her blanket. Tears ran down her cheeks. She was scared.


	25. Intervention

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Melody has a conversation with her family.

Melody spent the next week resting and recovering. She didn’t do much other than basic care for herself. Snow was snuggled up to her, worried about her, when DJ Suki, Creek, Basil, Sky, Stream, Winter, Wind, and King Robin walked into the bedroom. They had gathered for a meeting and had discussed how they were going to handle the situation that led to Melody’s near-death experience. The eight of them surrounded the bed and looked at the young mother. She was curled up, and had Snow snuggled up to her chest. She frowned, seeing that she was surrounded. She had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach that she was going to either be punished, banished, or killed.

Creek bit his bottom lip. He was very worried about the mix of auras coming off Melody. “She’s very scared.” He whispered to DJ Suki. “Please be gentle.”

“Melody, sweetheart, we are all worried about you. You almost died last week. The baby stealing must stop. Winter and Wind are going to have their babies in about three months. You will have all the snuggles you crave when those two babies come. I know you miss Storm. We all miss her. Endangering your life, will not bring her back. Basil and I are more then happy to let you babysit our babies all you want to help you. I know it is not the same, but that is certainly way better then dying. Please Melody. We can’t lose you too.” DJ Suki sat down and gently pulled Melody in for a hug. She held her daughter and ran her hand through her daughter’s gray two-toned hair. 

“Yes, I agree you may babysit Dill and Rainbow whenever you want. I don’t want to lose you either.” Basil sat down on the bed and put his hand on her shoulder. He shook his head and blinked. “Oh my god…” He looked shocked. “How on earth?” He could sense she was pregnant. It was a miracle that they had survived the attack.

Creek glanced at Stream and smiled softly. He could see that she was pregnant too. He wasn’t sure what to do. Melody was very stressed out, and he didn’t want her to know just in case she lost these babies too.

Stream smiled at Creek. He could see the little spirits too. He wasn’t as worried. Melody needed this badly, and he knew she had been trying for a few months now.

“What is it Basil?” Winter looked very worried.

Wind glanced at Winter, and then at Melody. He was worried too.

“She’s pregnant with twins.” Basil smiled and snuggled up to Melody. He spooned her and held her.

Melody’s eyes went wide. She rolled onto her back but kept Snow close. She looked at Basil and teared up. “Don’t lie like that Basil. That is not funny. There is no way. I lost way too much blood last week. It’s impossible.”

“He’s right Melody. I see two spirits too.” Sky smiled softly, although he was really worried about her. She needed to calm down and get through her pregnancy. He knew she couldn’t afford another loss.

King Robin finally spoke up. “Melody, I was thinking about your punishment, but since you’re pregnant, I have changed my mind on the type of punishment. Instead of my original punishment, you will be on flower pod arrest. I don’t want you leaving this flower pod for the next two months. I would like for you to spend that time with your own family. They need your right now. If we had lost you, it would have been devastating. No more baby stealing. Do you understand?”

Winter shot a grin towards Robin. He liked this way better than the original idea of her being stuck with manual labor. He had been worried that she wouldn’t take that well.

“See? Everything is going to be alright. You have a good support system going now, and you have two little babies to enjoy in a handful of months. Behave now. Please…” DJ Suki kissed her cheek and stood back up. “Winter? Wind? If you need anything at all, you know where I live.” She smiled at them.

Hazel peeked in. She had been keeping an eye on her sister in law. She was still worried about her. She smiled when she heard Melody was going to be home for two months. She looked forward to getting to know her more. She had grown fond of her.

Melody closed her eyes and cried happy tears. This whole intervention had gone way better than she expected. She had plans of taking it easy this pregnancy. She was already very protective of her babies. She snuggled into her brother and sniffled. She was so glad they all understood that she was hurting.


	26. Sweet Vibrations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Symphony goes over to visit Sky and is in for a surprise.

It had been two months since the intervention. Symphony was on her way to Sky’s home. Cookie had left her once again to go visit Dim. She was frustrated, although just about everyone in the new colony knew at least basic sign language now, so she could at least go out and interact with others, without feeling like she was having a one sided conversation. She got to Sky’s flower pod and walked in. She smiled at Sky and walked over to him. She put her hand on his belly and grinned, feeling his baby move. She looked up and signed that she was excited. She glanced over at Bubbles and stuck her tongue out at her. They were getting along a lot better now, and even shared some ideas with each other, since Bubbles knew quite a few techniques that helped with communication.

Bubbles raised a brow and got up. She walked over to Symphony and grabbed her by the hand. She dragged her towards the bedroom and signed to her that she had a present for her. She grabbed a box off the dresser and set it on the end of the bed. She pulled out a drum. She patted the side of the bed and put the drum in Symphony’s lap when she sat down.

Symphony sat down and signed to Bubbles that she didn’t play instruments. She couldn’t because she couldn’t hear the music.

Bubbles glared at her and gave her a stern look. She put her hands on the drum, and she signed that not all music had to be heard. She pointed to a picture of her mother, and then signed that her mother was a great musician before she died. She told her that her mother taught her how to play the drum, and that she had to trust the vibrations of the drum, and the people she was playing the music with. Once she learned how to time her beats, she could play any song she wanted, and got the pleasure of feeling the beat of the music, through the vibrations of the song. She put her hand on her belly and smiled softly. She told her she would be right back. The twins were pressing on her bladder.

Symphony watched her go and sighed. She appreciated that Bubbles was trying to help her out, since trolls were avid dancers and singers. She loved to dance, but after almost sixteen years of living life without hearing music, she had no concept of rhythm, or a beat. She had a feeling that this wasn’t going to work. She looked down at the drum.

When, she was done, Bubbles came back into the bedroom. She sat down in front of Symphony, and signed to her, that she wanted her to trust her. She wanted her to try. If she didn’t like it, she didn’t have to do it anymore.

Symphony sighed and nodded. If it was that important to her sister in law, she was willing to at least give it a try.

Bubbles grabbed Symphony’s hands and helped her smack the drum a few times. She grinned and looked up. She signed that this could also be a way she could annoy her brothers and sisters. Especially since Cookie clearly annoyed Symphony a lot.

Symphony hadn’t played with drums since she was a baby. Her parents hadn’t bothered once they found out she was deaf. After feeling the vibrations of the drum, she looked up and widened her eyes. The vibrations had radiated along her legs. She gasped and squealed in delight. She did it again on her own. She looked excited. She signed to Bubbles that she was willing to start learning. She liked this. She wanted to be part of the songs when everyone sang. This gave her a sense of acceptance.

Bubbles smiled and signed to her that it was going to take time, but that she was willing to help her. She told her that she was going to be at home a lot, especially with her babies being due in less then a month. She was going to have the time to start teaching her how to play the drum. She was very happy to see how excited Symphony was.

Symphony hugged into Bubbles. She couldn’t wait to learn. They had come a long way since the day she had slammed Bubbles to the ground months earlier. She was so glad that they were getting along now, and even shared a few things in common. It gave her a lot of joy.


	27. Pop Goes A Bubbles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sky’s family is about to expand.

A couple of weeks later, Bubbles was getting ready for the day’s lessons with Symphony. She had everything set up in the living room, and she was sitting on the couch. She had her hand on her very swollen belly. She had been having contractions for a few hours now but wasn’t alarmed. She was watching the time, and she had been informed that labor took hours. She was hoping to get through at least one lesson with her young student, before she was going to have to send her home for the day.

Symphony came into the flower pod and sat down by Bubbles. She smiled at her and set her hands on her drum. She was so ready for today’s lessons. She had been enjoying them. She had already learned a lot, and had a few songs memorized. She was excited.

Bubbles smiled at her and signed that today’s lessons would be short. She put her hand on her drum and gave it a few pats. She signed that today they were going to do a lullaby.

Symphony nodded and got ready.

Bubbles showed her the rhythm that she needed to do for the first part of the song. She grimaced, feeling a contraction. She checked the time and breathed. She frowned, realizing they were about two minutes apart. She had hoped she would get through a lesson, but time was running short on her.

Symphony frowned and watched her. She reached over, feeling her belly, and gasped when she felt the contraction. She signed, asking if she was in labor.

Bubbles nodded and got up. Blood had stained the couch. She headed for the bedroom. The contractions were closer than she liked. “Sky!” She removed her panties and got on the bed. She was on her hands and knees. She breathed and buried her face into the pillow. She was afraid to lay down. She felt pressure.

Symphony got up and frowned, seeing there was blood. She signed to Sky that she was going to take the kids to Basil’s home. She escorted them out of the flower pod, and towards Basil’s home.

Sky had been in the middle of a book when Bubbles called her. He set the book down and carefully eased up. He made his way towards the bedroom. He frowned and hurried over, seeing that the first baby was already emerging. He grabbed her as she was born and cleaned her face with the sheet. “Habanero! I need blankets now!”

Bubbles breathed and looked over at her daughter. She was a dwarf sized baby, was pink in color, and had dark pink hair. Once her face was cleaned, she began letting out cries.

Habanero came in with blankets and widened his eyes when he heard the wails of a newborn baby. “That was fast! She just called you.” He set the blankets down on the bed and carefully made his way onto the bed. He smiled when Sky handed him his daughter. It was very clear that this one was his baby. “Hello little one.” He held her and sat by Bubbles’ head. “You’re so brave Bubbles. How long have you been in pain?”

“A few hours. I thought I had time.” Bubbles cringed during the next contraction. This baby wasn’t coming out as easily. She breathed hard and clenched her teeth.

Sky caught a little girl as she came out. She was considerably larger than her sister and was light blue with purple hair. She began letting out cries as her daddy cleaned her. “Good job Bubbles.” He smiled, seeing that this one was his daughter. “You make pretty babies.”

“At least you made it into the bed.” Habanero smiled softly. “Bask had Sunshine in his pants. Same with Creek with Rapid. Those two kids were in a hurry.”

“Not to mention Ginger, with my mom. She didn’t make it to the medical pod and if Leaf hadn’t caught her, she would have fallen to the ground.” Sky smiled softly. He missed Ginger. She was a sweetheart.

Bubbles got on her back and gently took her daughters. She looked at them and smiled. “I gave you both girls. Oh god, I thought for sure I would give you at least one boy.”

“Genders are always a surprise.” Habanero groaned and put his hand on his own belly. “It’s time to go to the medical pod.” He was nervous about his own birth and had just felt a contraction.

“Now? Oh god Habanero.” Sky frowned and helped him out of the bed. “Can you walk mama? We need to go.” He yelped, feeling his own contraction. “Crap!”

Bubbles gently put her baby girls in her hair and secured them. She got up and groaned, feeling stiff. She put her hand on her belly. She was sore. “I think I can walk.” She took Habanero by the hand and headed for the door.

Habanero held Bubbles’ hand and walked with her towards the door.

Sky clenched his fists and cursed as he followed his mates. He didn’t want to have his baby at the medical pod, but it appeared he had no choice.

Once at the medical pod, Sky laid down on a medical bed and hollered during a contraction. He clenched the pillow and groaned as it eased.

Bubbles took her babies out of her hair and set them down on another bed. She smiled at Sprout, when he came over and checked them. “Is it normal that the pink one is so little?”

“Sugar was way smaller. She’s fine.” Sprout helped Bubbles put diapers on her twins and wrapped them up so they would stay warm. “Don’t hold Sky’s hand. He’s a hand breaker…literally.” He then picked up Habanero and took him to the back room so he could have his planned surgery.

Sky glared at Sprout as he walked away. “I do not!” He screamed in agony.

Bubbles walked over and sat down by Sky. She helped her twins nurse and hummed a soft melody. She was way calmer then Sky. “It’s going to be just fine Sky.”

“It hurts!!!” Sky breathed and squirmed in the bed. He was very uncomfortable.

“I know it does daddy. I just did it myself.” Bubbles smiled softly and gently put her twins back in her hair once she was done feeding them. She laid down and snuggled into him. She spooned him and held him close. “You can do it.”

“I’m scared…” Sky started to cry. He knew his baby was just fine but losing his second pregnancy had scared him. Tears ran down his cheeks. He looked towards the back room when he heard newborn cries. Habanero’s baby sounded healthy.

Once Habanero was healed up, and the baby was cleaned up, Sprout carried both back into the main room. He gently laid Habanero down in his own bed and carried the newborn over to Sky and Bubbles to see. “Habanero is still out cold. He had a boy.” He gave the violet colored dwarf sized baby to Bubbles. He had light purple hair and was crying softly.

“Another tiny baby? What if I break them?” Bubbles looked worried as she held the little one.

“You won’t break them.” Sky smiled softly, and then cringed during the next contraction. He screamed in pain. “I’m being torn apart!”

Sprout checked Sky’s progress. He got a blanket ready and caught the little one as he was born. He was normal sized, red in color, with white hair. He began crying as Sprout cleaned him up. “Another healthy boy.” He was glad. He had been worried about Sky, even though he took his loss better than Melody had. He gave the boy to his daddy and healed him from a tiny tear. “Good job Sky.”

It took a couple of hours before Habanero came to. He was moved over to be with Sky. He held his son and smiled. He was a very proud daddy.

“We should name them.” Sky smiled at his mates. I was thinking of calling mine Jalapeno.”

“After his daddy? That is fitting.” Bubbles smiled at him. “I was thinking of naming the smaller twin Cotton and the bigger twin Silk.” She cradled her girls and smiled. She was very pleased with her babies.

“Very cute names. I want to name our son Plum.” Habanero yawned tiredly. He was still drowsy.

“Two fruits and two fabrics?” Sky chuckled and nodded. “Alright, I’m OK with that.” He closed his eyes and smiled. He was so glad that they had expanded their family. He knew he would always miss his little lost baby, but these four were certainly going to give him a sense of peace. He was very happy.


	28. Micro Shy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nano finally makes a bold move.

Nano was on his way towards River and Candy’s flower pod. He had a box in his hands. He looked nervous as he made his way there. He stopped at their front door and set the box down. He knocked on the door and smiled softly when River answered the door. “Hello River. I have a present for you and your family. I found this in the field nearby. It was injured and I nursed it back to health. I hope you like it.”

River looked confused. She took the box inside and motioned for him to come in. She set the box down on the floor and opened it. She gasped, seeing a little green firefly crawl out of the box. She looked at him and smiled. “Oh Nano, she is beautiful. Are you sure you want to give her to me?” She gently picked her up and giggled when it squeaked at her. “You’re so cute!”

“I’m sure.” Nano looked around and smiled when Maximus came running over to him. He fell over when the tiny three-year-old crashed into him. “Hello to you too Prince Maximus!” He laughed and hugged the young prince.

Maximus hugged into Nano and smiled. He liked Nano. Nano was the only dwarf sized glitter troll in the village other than his aunt Coral and himself. To him, it made them extra special.

Candy walked over and gasped, seeing the firefly. “Oh my god, she is so cute!” She smiled at Nano. “You’re way too sweet. Why do you keep showering us with presents?”

“He has a crush on us.” River smiled softly and looked at Candy. She knew what was going on and had for the last three years. She wasn’t going to be the one to ask. She was busy and had other things to focus on, other than asking for him. She not only had to deal with everything wrong that happened with Sapphire, but she was also trying to get Maximus ready for school. He was extremely important to the village. Her babies came first. The earthquake, famine, and move didn’t help either. She had lost a considerable amount of weight during that time, and only just got back to her original weight. She had been very stressed.

Nano blushed and looked between the girls. He had a bad feeling in the pit of his gut that he was going to be rejected. He nodded and looked down. “It’s true.” The maroon color of his skin hid that fact that he was blushing. He played with his red colored hair nervously.

Maximus looked up at River and cocked his head. “He didn’t crush us!”

Sapphire got up and walked over. “Who crushed?!” She looked worried.

Candy put her hand over her mouth. “I know he has. I been wondering when he would ask. I think it’s because we are princesses. He’s scared.”

River nodded and knelt. “You’re so shy Nano. It’s alright.”

“You won’t be mad if I asked to be your husband, will you?” Nano raised his head up slowly and gasped when she reached over and began kissing him. He wasn’t expecting that at all. He returned the kiss and ran his hand through her two-toned hair.

“Eww!!!” Maximus made a grossed-out face and backed away. “Run Sapphire! Run!” He bolted for his bedroom.

Sapphire widened her eyes and retreated. She followed her brother into his bedroom and closed the door.

Candy giggled and got down on her knees. “You’re so cute Nano. You may join our family, so long as you promise to help us out. We’re always busy. It’s not easy being royal.”

Nano kissed River back and looked up into her pretty violet colored eyes. “I have watched. That’s why I bring over food and supplies all the time.” Nano looked at the firefly. “And I thought the kids would enjoy your new pet.”

“You’re very sweet for bringing her over. I think I’ll call her Sweet Pea.” River looked over at the little firefly. It had settled by the window and was glowing a bright green. “The kids will enjoy years of friendship with her.”

Candy pulled Nano in and began to kiss him. She smiled at him and put her hand under her chin. “Are you sure you will be able to handle our princess and prince?”

Nano kissed her back and smiled. “Yeah, I think I can handle them.”

“Good…” River smiled and got back up. She headed for the bedroom and helped the kids get settled down for a nap. She got them laying down and began to read to them.

Candy watched her go and grinned. She knew what her River was doing. She nudged Nano towards the bedroom. “Now is a good time to set up the bedroom.”

“Set it up?” Nano looked confused for a moment, and then flushed when he realized what she meant. He looked up at her and nodded. “I will be right back. I need to go grab a few things.” He wasn’t expecting them to want to mate right away, but he was more than happy to do it. He hurried for his flower pod.

Candy giggled and smiled. She went to the bedroom and began setting up candles. She let them, and then spread some lavender oils along the bed. She walked into the kitchen and grabbed frosting out of the fridge. She set it in a pan of water and began to warm it up a little. Once it was warm, she pulled it out and carried the container to the bedroom. She came back out and grabbed some dried cherries out of the cabinet. She walked back to the bedroom and set those by the frosting. She smiled, hearing Nano return. She looked over and giggled when he came up with a bottle of messaging oil in his hands. She took it and looked at it. She opened it and smelled it. “Vanilla? Oh, sly dog. Where did you get this?”

“I made it this summer. I’ve been saving it for the right moment.” Nano blushed and crawled onto the bed. “If you want, I can give you a message?” He patted the bed and widened his eyes when she stripped all her clothes. He watched her crawl onto the bed. He took the oil from her and put it on his hands. He rubbed his hands together, and then began giving her a back message. 

River came in and smiled. “They’re asleep.” She crawled into the bed, and had Candy look up. She began kissing her hungrily.

Candy giggled and kissed her back just as eagerly. She mumbled that Nano gave good back messages.

Nano smiled. When he was done giving her a back message, he helped Candy onto her back, and held her close. He pushed his length into her and moaned as he began to thrust.

Candy moaned in pleasure and tightened her walls around his length. It was the first time she had mated with a male, and she loved the sensation. She shivered in delight.

River put a little frosting on Candy’s chest and put a few cherries on the frosting. She began slowly licking it off her. She reached down and messaged Candy’s clitoris as Nano thrust inside her. She was gasped when Candy reached over and began fingering her. She was very pleased.

They mated for a couple of hours, and then snuggled for a little while. The girls were glad Nano finally asked.


	29. Frosty Gust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dinner being cooked is interrupted in Winter’s flower pod.

The cold of winter had come to the village, and everyone was snuggled and warm in their flower pods. Bee was over at Winter, Melody, Wind, and Hazel’s home. She was in the kitchen, cooking soup for dinner. She hummed to herself and kept glancing towards Wind. He appeared to be in labor but hadn’t said anything yet. She turned the soup down to a simmer and walked over to him. “Let me time those contractions.” She put her hand on his swollen belly and watched the time. She glanced up when after a few had come and gone. “Let’s get you set up in bed daddy. Hazel, please go stir the soup?”

Wind got up and groaned. He held his belly and walked towards the bedroom. His pants were stained with blood. He took them off when he got into the bedroom and crawled into bed. He hollered in pain during the next contraction.

Melody followed Wind and Bee into the bedroom. She sat beside him and took his hand. She squeezed it gently and kissed him. “You can do it.” She was still gray, and was still depressed, but had been showing some signs of approving. Her belly was slowly showing signs of becoming round. Her twins appeared to be doing well.

Winter followed Melody and sat on Wind’s other side. He was having contractions too but hadn’t said a word. He had his hand on his belly as he gently messaged Wind’s lower back with his other hand.

Bee started getting the room set up for the baby. She glanced over at Winter and noticed there was blood staining the area around him. She shot a glare at him. “Winter! Are you laboring without telling again?!” She pretended to be annoyed.

Wind blinked and rolled so he was facing Winter. He put his hand on Winter’s belly and glanced up at Bee. “He sure is. He did this with Snow too?”

“Yes he did.” Melody smiled softly. “Looks like the babies will share their birthdays.”

“I’m alright. It’s just labor.” Winter teased. It hurt, but he had a high pain tolerance.

A crash, and a scream came from the kitchen. Bee widened her eyes and hurried towards the kitchen. She saw that the soup was still on the stove, much to her relief. She had almost not let Hazel tend to it alone. She went around the corner and saw that Hazel was having a seizure, and Snow was under her. She frowned and quickly got Hazel off Snow. She checked Snow for injuries and began to heal her.

Snow was screaming in pain and horror. She had a sprained ankle and had been frightened. She calmed down once the pain in her ankle left her.

Melody came around the corner and gasped. She took Snow once she was healed and took her towards the bedroom. She held her to her chest and comforted her. “It’s alright…”

Hazel’s seizure calmed down. She started to come to. She let out a soft sob. “I had Snow…” She had tears in her eyes. “Is she alright?” Her speech was slurred.

“She’s alright. Calm down sweetheart, it was an accident.” Bee turned the stove off and picked Hazel up. She carried her into Winter, Wind, and Melody’s room. She laid her on the floor and got her comfortable, and then went to check on Wind. She looked worried, even though Hazel had gone two weeks without having a seizure. 

Wind’s eyes were wide. He squirmed during a contraction. “Are they alright?” He cried out, feeling pressure. He breathed and gasped as the baby emerged.

Bee caught him and began cleaning him. He was a light green glitter baby with green hair. He began to cry. He was healthy. Once he was all clean, she gently gave him to Wind and smiled. “He’s beautiful.”

Winter took Snow and held her. He ran his hand through her long royal blue hair. “She’s alright.” He wiped her tears away and smiled softly when she wriggled out of her arms and ran over to Hazel. He looked over and smiled when he saw his son being born. He reached over and gave Wind a kiss. “You did such a good job daddy.”

Snow snuggled into Hazel and hugged into her. “Are you OK auntie Hazel?” She looked worried.

Melody frowned when Snow returned to Hazel’s side. She didn’t look happy. That was scary. She worried about the babies. She silently questioned if Hazel should be carrying the little ones around.

“I’m alright.” Hazel put her arm around Snow and hugged her. She was glad Snow was OK, and that she hadn’t frightened her or hurt her too badly.

Wind held his son and smiled at him. “Hello Gust.” He smiled at Winter and Melody. “I hope that is alright.” He smiled when they nodded.

Winter grimaced and breathed hard. He reached down and hollered in pain as his own baby was born. This one was white glitter with yellow hair. He pulled him to his chest and smiled when Bee came over and began to clean him. “Hello Frost.” He took deep breaths, and then gently gave his son to Melody. “Here you go sweetheart.” He knew she had been wanting this really bad.

Melody smiled when Winter put the baby in her arms. She teared up and began to cry happy tears. “He almost looks like Storm.” Tears ran down her cheeks. Her colors began to restore. “I can’t thank you enough Winter and Wind…”

“Oh my god…” Wind looked stunned. He had seen pictures of her when she had her colors, but he was still surprised at how beautiful she was with her colors restored. He grinned and smiled at his mates. He was so glad she was happy enough to restore her colors. He had been worried about her.

“There’s my beautiful wife. I’m so glad you’re happy again.” Winter reached over and kissed her. It had been a scary evening, but everyone was alright, and Melody was happy again. He was very relieved.


	30. Being Part Of The Beat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone gathers for Guy Diamond, Basil, Sky, Melody, River, and Dill’s birthday.

Guy Diamond had made a fire and was waiting for his family and friends to start gathering. Today was his fortieth birthday, along with the twenty first birthday of four special kids, and the first birthday of a little Dill.

Keith had shown up with Cloud. They sat by the fire. Keith had come a long way the last year, but he missed his son and wife. He was still gray but was no longer in danger of wanting to kill himself. He had become good friends with Cloud, and no longer desired to end his life and be with his family. He still had a long way to go, but he was doing much better.

Basil showed up with Bask, Pearl, Fairy, Chili, Sunshine, Dill, and Rainbow. He set Dill down and smiled, feeling the warmth of the fire. “Well, this is much better then having it in a flower pod.”

“Yeah, I don’t think Bask can afford to lose any more teeth.” Guy Diamond chuckled, putting some light into the scary event that happened a year earlier. He didn’t blame any of them for wanting to have the birthday party outside.

Bask gave them a grin. He looked goofy with the gaps he had in his mouth. He had managed just fine without his teeth. “If I lose too many more, you’re going to start calling me Toothless.”

“Come here, Bask. I’ll help you get that nickname.” Smidge grabbed him and pulled him down. She opened his mouth and looked at his remaining teeth. “Naw, you have too many left.” She grinned and smiled at him. She had recently lost one of her own teeth while wrestling with Sassafras Junior.

“Mom, is there a reason you tied a bow on that hole in your ear? It looks odd.” Sky came up with his own family. He startled when she whapped him with her hair. “Careful mom! I have Jalapeno and Plum in my hair...” He grumbled and walked over to the fire to get away from his frisky mom.

Bubbles watched Smidge and glared at her. She moved to sit over by Sky. She wasn’t amused. She had her twins in her hair. She pulled Cotton out and began to feed her quietly.

“Oh my god, she is so pretty.” River came over and sat by Bubbles. She admired her little niece. She was a very pretty shade of pink. “She’s going to have all the boys chasing her when she is grown.”

“Over my dead body.” Habanero grumbled and crossed his arms. He was very protective of his babies.

Melody made it to the fire. She sat down and put her hand on her swollen belly. She still had a month and a half left of her pregnancy. She was very nervous. She pulled little Gust and Frost out of her hair and snuggled with them quietly.

Wind sat down by Melody and watched everyone gather. There were a lot of trolls by the fire already, and he knew there was going to be more showing up.

Winter walked over to Habanero and poked his cousin hard. “You need to come over and visit more often. Snow misses her family.”

“Well if Melody wasn’t so cranky, we all would.” Basil stuck out his tongue.

“Cranky indeed.” Hazel sat down by the fire, far from her sister in law. She had been mad at her. Melody hadn’t let her hold her nephews, even with reassurance that she would no longer hold the kids alone. It hurt her feelings. She had arranged to move in with Bee so that it would reduce her stress levels. She didn’t want to be away from her brother, but she was old enough, and her health came first.

“Give her a break guys.” River frowned and crossed her arms. She wasn’t amused. It was one year that day that Melody had lost Storm. She knew the last year had been very hard for Melody. She had come a long way, and still had a long way to go.

DJ Suki walked up with her children. She had a big grin on her face. “It’s time.” She gave Melody a hug and gave her an encouraging smile. “Symphony has a special present for you. She has some help from Cookie, Rush, Basil, Sky, and River.

Symphony sat down with her drum, right in front of Melody. She smiled and signed to her sister that she loved her very much.

Cookie cleared her throat and stood behind Symphony. She watched everyone get ready.

Basil grabbed his cymbal and stood by Symphony. He reached down and signed in her hand that he would tap her shoulder when it was time to start.

Sky grabbed his guitar and stood by Basil. He toned his guitar and smiled.

Rush pulled his violin out and smiled at Melody. They had been practicing for this day.

River walked over and stood by Cookie. They were going to sing together.

Once they were all ready, Basil tapped Symphony’s shoulder, and then got ready to play his instrument.

Cookie and River began to sing. Sky, Basil, and Rush played their instruments. Symphony began beating on her drum. They all wanted to show Melody that they were there for her. They all loved her and knew that this last year had been very hard for her.

Melody held her hand to her chest and teared up. She had been in an odd mood all morning, but they had touched her heart with the song that they sang and played. It was especially awesome that Symphony was keeping up with the rhythm of the song. Once they were all done, she moved over and gave each of them a big hug. “You all have no idea how much this means to me. I’m so sorry I have been a royal pain. I love you all.” She made sure to sign that to Symphony too. She loved her siblings so much. She felt a feeling of love, and she whispered that she promised she would continue to keep going strong. She wanted to be strong for them, and her little family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the song that they played. I do not own the song. All credit goes to the song writer and singer.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Gcrx2Ab0FM


	31. Moving On

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Melody's heart mends as she welcomes her little bundles into the world.

Another month had gone by, and winter was only a couple weeks away from ending. Melody was restless. She glanced at Hazel’s old room. Hazel had recently moved out. She walked in there and began setting it up as a nursery. She stopped during contractions but hadn’t told Wind that she was in labor. Winter was not home at that moment, but that didn’t matter at the moment. She was trying to keep her mind preoccupied. She was petrified, even though it was clear that her twins were healthy.

Winter came home from a trip to see Biggie. He set Snow down and walked towards the bedroom to check on Melody. He frowned, not seeing her in there. He looked over at Wind, whom was making lunch. “Where is Melody?”

“Nesting, in Hazel’s old room.” Wind had been trying to convince her to take a break and rest, but she wasn’t having it. He stayed out of her way. She was scary when she was in a bad mood.

Melody got a crib set up in that room and breathed during a contraction. She gritted her teeth and let out a scream of agony. They were getting intense.

Winter widened his eyes and ran into the room. He looked around and gasped. “Did you do this alone?” He helped her towards the bedroom. He could see that she was bleeding and was clearly in labor.

“Yes…” Melody groaned and crawled into the bed. She hugged into the pillow and started to cry. “I’m so scared…” She was starting to shake.

Wind warily stepped into the bedroom and walked over to Melody. He gently took her hand and smiled softly when she squeezed it. “We’re here for you mama.” He looked nervous. He wanted so badly for this to come out alright for Melody. She had been through enough pain.

Winter started getting the bedroom set up. He helped her out of her underwear and dress. He then settled down beside her and kissed her. “I love you so much sweetheart.” He was nervous and had tears in his eyes. He had been acting tough, but he was scared too. He was worried about her, and he missed his baby girl.

Melody kissed Winter back, and then screamed as the first of her twins arrived. Winter caught her and began to clean her up. She was a medium shade of purple, with dark green and medium green two-toned hair. She began to cry as her daddy cleaned her up. 

“She’s so pretty, like her mama.” Winter gently gave the first twin to Wind and got ready to catch the second baby.

Melody breathed hard and looked over at her daughter. Happy tears ran down her cheeks. She gasped and squeezed Wind’s hand as the second twin emerged. This one was an identical twin to the first twin. She began to cry as she was cleaned.

“You make pretty babies Melody.” Wind kissed her and snuggled with the firstborn.

“They’re beautiful.” Winter gently gave their daughter to Melody, and then snuggled into her and watched his daughter cry in her arms. He was a proud daddy.

“They’re a blessing.” Melody sniffled and held her daughter to her chest. “I want to name them Blessing and Faith, because they’re both a blessing, and they give me faith for the future.”

“We’re so proud of you Melody.” Wind gently gave her the first twin, and snuggled with her, sandwiching her between him and Winter.

“Very proud.” Winter ran his hand through her two-toned hair and hummed softly. He was so glad that she was moving on from the tragic events that took place during and after the earthquake. She had come a long way and had shown a lot of signs of growing up. He knew their future looked better from here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end of part 5. There is another part coming later today. Stay tuned for more drama and fun. Thank you for reading!


End file.
